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Boston City Council to scrutinize police contracts in push for reform

BOSTON — The Boston City Council will hold a hearing Tuesday about the role police contracts play in efforts by social justice advocates to reform the department.

The Council’s Ways and Means Committee will meet virtually at 3 p.m.

In calling for the hearing, councilors drew attention to the fact that collective bargaining on police contracts impacts how and how quickly the city can legally make changes to policing policies and, in some aspects, funding.

The call for police reform in Boston and nationwide has grown significantly since the May killing of George Floyd while in police custody in Minnesota. Social justice advocates across the country have demonstrated and publicly called for restrictions on the use of force, a reduction in police department funding, and other changes.

In June, the Boston Police Department implemented several of the “8 Can’t Wait” policy changes supported by many supporters of racial justice.