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Calling For Changes, Baker Sends Back Police Reform Legislation

A white man in a suit stands in front of a bookshelf.
WAMC
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker

Republican Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has returned a police reform bill to the state legislature with a list of desired changes.

Baker’s opposition to the much-debated legislation includes creating an independent commission to standardize police training and certification as well as a ban on facial recognition technology. Democrat Tricia Farley-Bouvier, the state representative for much of Pittsfield, says the move wasn’t unexpected.

“I don’t think anything he has in there is unreasonable, I just don’t agree with everything that’s in there," she told WAMC. "So we are going to have to work together to come to a piece of legislation that we can get across the finish line.”

The state’s legislative session ends on January 5th.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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