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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Cambridge, Mass. is one of the local communities looking to transform policing, but there are still big questions about how new crisis responders would help the community.
Years ago, Cambridge paved the way for a new unarmed response team. Community Safety Head Liz Speakman said a team has been hired, but there is still work to be done on policy structure.
“We are still in the process of drafting our policies, so we are not 100 percent landed on much,” said Speakman. “But, we do know that our team will need to be mandated reporters.”
According to Massachusetts law, mandated reporters are required to immediately make an oral report to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) when, in their professional capacity, they have reasonable cause to believe that a child under the age of 18 is suffering from abuse or neglect.
Mandated reporting is an important system, but Speakman said it has not always been used equally. There are serious concerns as to whether the requirement might make a desperate family reconsider reaching out.
“Particularly families of color, families of lower socio-economic status, DCF has not served them well.”
The new response team is expected to be dispatched starting in March 2024.
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports:
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