Proposal Would Strengthen Framingham Police Advisory Committee

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A Framingham Councilor wants the city to consider strengthening the new Police Advisory Committee so it can do things like recommend policy changes and publicize citizen complaints.

The Police Advisory Committee was formed in late 2019, a result of Framingham's recent charter revision. The current form of the committee can hear feedback on police from the community and "promote public awareness of the city's police services," among other duties.

In a new proposal, District 8 Councilor John Stefanini wants to give the committee additional powers, including the ability to "review and make recommendations on a quarterly basis to the chief of police, mayor, and City Council" about the police budget and complaints against police. The committee would also publish quarterly reports on complaints made against the department, according to the proposal.

"Recent horrific actions around the country highlight the ongoing need for just such a committee to ensure public confidence in the work of the many dedicated and hardworking men and women of our police department," Stefanini says in his proposal.

READ: Framingham Police Use Of Force Incidents On The Rise

In the proposal, Stefanini refers to the 2011 Framingham police killing of 68-year-old grandfather Eurie Stamps. A SWAT team member shot and killed Stamps, who was unarmed, during a raid connected to a drug investigation. Stamps was lying on the floor with his hands showing when he was shot. The officer, Paul Duncan, fired his gun accidentally, the district attorney's office later found.

But Stamps' death sparked federal lawsuits, and Framingham police disbanded the SWAT team in 2013. The police committee was, in part, supposed to be an answer to the Stamps killing.

"The ordinance passed last year does not fully embrace the intent and purpose of this independent committee," Stefanini wrote in his proposal.

Stefanini's proposal will be up for discussion at Tuesday's City Council meeting, and will likely be referred to the Public Safety, Public Health and Transportation Subcommittee for further review.