Northampton, Massachusetts, Police Chief Jody Kasper, kneeling second from left, with protesters last summer. (Alden Bourne / NEPR)
A commission in Northampton, Massachusetts, suggested major changes to the city's policing approach. The police chief is pushing back on some parts — but not all.
The Northampton Policing Review Commission, created after last summer's racial justice protests, spent half a year thinking of ways to change the city's reliance on the police.
A key premise was, the more that armed officers respond to non-criminal matters — from mental health crises to parking disputes — the more likely things can escalate into violence.
“My hope is that at a baseline, we'll be able to respond a little bit better to the needs of the most marginalized people in the city,” said Dan Cannity, co-chair of the commission, “and that everyone will feel respected and dignified.”