Governor Charlie Baker has signed police reform legislation that includes a mandatory certification process for police officers, the certification process will be overseen by a 9 member civilian board.
The new law identifies the general circumstances under which police officers can use physical force, and specifically bans the use of chokeholds and prohibits firing into a fleeing vehicle unless doing so is both necessary to prevent imminent harm and proportionate to that risk of harm.
The bill also generally precludes officers from using rubber pellets, chemical weapons, or canine units against a crowd.
Violations of any of these provisions may provide grounds for an officer to have their certification suspended or revoked.
Photo: Getty Images North America