NEW BEDFORD The night before Christmas Eve, the New Bedford Commission to Review NBPD Use of Force Policies released its final report after a six month review of the police department s policies.
The report offers recommended changes to the policies and states the recommendations “recognized and adopted language to meet the need of strengthening the emphasis on ‘duty to intervene’ and ‘de-escalation’ components for all three policies.”
One recommendation states that even if the requirement to intervene is spelled out in the department’s rules and regulations, it should be reiterated in the Use of Force policies.
In June, after days of protests in the city calling for police reform and an end to police brutality, Mayor Jon Mitchell announced the creation of the commission as part of his commitment to the Obama Foundation’s Mayor’s Pledge.