15 Massachusetts officers suspended

Massachusetts is acting on a police reform bill passed in 2020 after the death of George Floyd. #news

Transcript

00:00Massachusetts is suspending 15 police officers for past misconduct as a result of a 2020 police

00:05reform bill. Because of the bill, the state was able to create the Peace Officers Standards and

00:09Training Commission, or POST, which is tasked with creating a statewide mandatory certification

00:13process. It's currently reviewing all officers in the state to determine whether or not they

00:18can continue to work as police officers. Enrique Zenaga, executive director of POST, said POST

00:23will suspend the certification of an officer who is arrested, charged, or indicted of a felony

00:28and will revoke the certification of an officer who is convicted of a felony. In an effort to

00:32create more transparency within the state's police departments, all suspended officers will be logged

00:37in a public database. One suspended officer is accused of repeatedly using a stun gun on a

00:41pregnant woman during an arrest, another charged with using a baton to strike a man in custody,

00:46and another charged with getting paid for details he did not work. The commission can also suspend

00:50the certification of an officer who doesn't complete the new training requirements within

00:5490 days of notice. However, they will reinstate the officer's certification once that training is

00:59completed.