As Northampton report calls for new department of unarmed civilian 911 responders, MassLive poll finds views on policing are complex
Updated 6:57 AM;
Whether it’s about how mental health crises should be handled or how best to support houseless individuals, there’s no shortage of opinions about policing in Northampton.
In the weeks after a resident-led commission released a sweeping report looking at how public safety can change in the small Pioneer Valley city in the years to come, MassLive published an informal digital survey in which people were asked a slew of questions about law enforcement and some of the proposals in the report.
Guest columnist David Hoose: It’s time for unarmed traffic enforcement
This photo provided by Ben Crump Law, PLLC. shows Daunte Wright and his son, Daunte Jr., at his first birthday party. Wright, 20, was killed during a traffic stop by a white suburban Minneapolis police officer on Sunday, April 11. Ben Crump Law, PLLC. via AP
Published: 4/19/2021 1:13:33 PM
The Northampton Policing Review Commission’s recently released report included the recommendation that Northampton transition to an unarmed civilian response to minor motor vehicle accidents and traffic enforcement, for all but those offenses that pose an imminent threat to public safety.
The events in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota earlier this month underscore the reasons for, and indeed the urgency of the recommendation.
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.”
Jenifer Urff: Policing commission deserves accolades gazettenet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gazettenet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Roughly $1.6 million from Northampton’s cannabis community impact fee fund to be used for resilience hub, shelter for vulnerable residents
Updated 5:45 AM;
Facebook Share
The dream of creating a community resilience hub in Northampton, a daytime shelter of sorts that would serve some of the most vulnerable residents in the city, is slowly coming to fruition.
Last Thursday, the Northampton City Council voted to appropriate $1,610,000 in funds gained through the community’s cannabis community impact fee toward the acquisition and development of the resilience hub, which Mayor David Narkewicz views as one of his key projects to complete before leaving office come January 2022.