A brand new state police process pressure geared toward figuring out and stopping hate crimes was introduced by the governor and regulation enforcement leaders on Monday, which they are saying is available in response to an uptick in bigotry-based violence.
Interim State Police Col. John Mawn Jr. joined Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy for a morning press convention to announce the formation of the Hate Crimes Awareness and Response Team, or HART.
“Recent events at home and abroad provide a tragic and urgent reminder that no community is immune from the unpredictable and devastating impact of bias-motivated events,” Mawn stated.
According to Mawn, a current report launched by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security exhibiting 440 reported hate crime incidents in Massachusetts in 2022 — up from 406 the 12 months earlier than — demonstrates the should be proactive in fixing the issue.
“As our nation continues to grapple with a concerning increase in unlawful acts of hate, the State Police will meet this moment with a robust strategy and sustained commitment to confronting bias and intolerance by strengthening law enforcement partnerships, enhancing community engagement, and delivering advanced training and education to stakeholders,” he stated.
The new process pressure might be staffed by “four to five sworn members of the MSP” every of whom might be assigned a area of the state to watch, Mawn stated. Those troopers will function a focus for native regulation enforcement, group teams, and spiritual organizations who might reply to or expertise hate crimes.
The group is a “diverse and multi-lingual group of troopers who have demonstrated exceptional investigative experience and skill,” Mawn stated.
HART, in accordance with the colonel, is tasked with bettering knowledge assortment and sharing to “identify statewide, national, and global patterns and trends,” conducting academic outreach, creating superior hate crimes response coaching, and dealing to “streamline” coordination between federal, state, and native regulation enforcement businesses.
According to the governor, with a reported hate crime occurring every day within the Commonwealth, it’s vital for state and group leaders to attract a line.
“It’s necessary that we say firmly and forcefully, whatever the bias, whatever the target, hate has no place in Massachusetts. Anti-Semitism has no place. Racism has no place. Islamophobia has no place. Homophobia, transphobia have no place. Ableism has no place,” Healey stated.
Healey additionally introduced a sequence of Hate Crime Prevention Grant awards for Massachusetts faculty districts to assist skilled growth for academics and engagement with native regulation enforcement and group organizations. $461,920 was awarded to 10 faculty districts. Burlington, Gateway, Gloucester, Framingham, North Reading, Bedford, and Newton have been every awarded $50,000. Granby was awarded $48,670, Lenox $40,000, and Medway $23,250.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”
