Press Release  Bump’s Office Receives National Award for Police Reform Efforts

Boston — State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump today announced her office has received the National State Auditors Association (NSAA) Special Projects Award for its report on police training and accountability. The report, Municipal Police In-Service Training: Funding and Cooperation across the Commonwealth, which was produced by her office’s Division of Local Mandates (DLM), called for the establishment of a Police Officer Standards and Training system, a database to track police training credits, and expanded training opportunities, all of which were included in the police reform bill signed into law this past December. NSAA’s Special Projects Award is presented each year to the most innovative “non-audit report” that helps lead to major service or policy changes.

“This project was conceived of as an examination of municipal cost burdens, but ultimately made the case for greater police training resources and accountability,” Bump said. “When we released this report, Massachusetts was one of just four states that did not have a police licensure and certification process, but thanks to support from the Baker administration, the Legislature, and advocates for racial justice, this is no longer the case. We are immensely proud that our independent analysis was valued and helped inform debate of last year. This is the goal of the office, to help make government work better. I congratulate the DLM staff members, who are so deserving of this honor.”

“On behalf of the National State Auditors Association, we are incredibly pleased to award the Office of the State Auditor for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts our Special Projects Award for its diligent report on police training and accountability,” said Gregory Hook, Maryland Legislative Auditor and chair of NSAA’s Excellence in Accountability Awards Committee. “This report proactively investigated a subject matter that is both timely and of great interest in the national discourse, and extensively detailed the opportunity that Massachusetts has to institute a higher standard of policing and accountability.”

The study, which was released in November 2019, found that while Massachusetts has one of the highest hourly requirements for in-service police training in the nation, at 40 hours annually, it did not provide enough training opportunities to allow officers to meet this requirement and had no mechanism to hold officers and municipalities accountable. The study recommended the Legislature establish a Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) system to set minimum training standards, regulate training programs and curricula, and oversee police licensure and decertification.

The nominations for Special Projects were judged by other state auditors across the country. NSAA is part of the National Association of State Auditors, Comptrollers and Treasurers, (NASACT) whose mission is to assist state leaders to enhance and promote effective and efficient management of governmental resources. For more information visit https://www.nasact.org/nsaa_awards. 

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