Wicked Local
During a very challenging era for policing, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller on Thursday said the city had found “the right person at the right time” to become the department’s new leader: Current Walpole Police Chief John F. Carmichael Jr.
If the City Council agrees with the mayor’s choice, Carmichael will take over for Interim Chief Howard Mintz in June.
“I’m very big on transparency,” said the 53-year-old father of two regarding his communication style with the community and media.
During a press conference at the police station, Fuller praised Carmichael, an East Walpole resident, for being a good listener, a collaborative manager and someone who leads with compassion and integrity, she said.
Elianna Kruskal, Megan Fieleke and Connie Shui-Yi Chow
After eight months of work, Newton’s mayor-appointed Police Reform Task Force has released a set of recommendations that are deeply flawed. The report begins by acknowledging the historic and ongoing harm policing causes to Black, Indigenous and other people of color, then inexplicably concludes that we need to invest even more money and effort into the Newton Police Department.
The Newton Police Reform Task Force seems driven by an erroneous belief that police can be fundamentally transformed into something other than police. They call for a mindshift from a “warrior mentality” to a “guardian mentality” through a consultant-led culture change initiative, substantial new and expensive training, and hiring more officers in order to achieve racial diversity. They propose these solutions despite widespread evidence showing that reforms that seek to fix police don’t result in more equity.