How will the Lexington police change its data collection or other practices to respond to the recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision changing the standard relating to racial profiling?

The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts recently ruled and will now permit a Defendant to use as a defense that they were stopped as a result of racial profiling and not for a legitimate police action. The Commonwealth must then prove that profiling was not the reason for the stop.

The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police and other respected organizations came out with training material within a week of that decision. This material was distributed to all officers and discussed with their patrol teams.

We prohibit profiling. This ruling reinforces a standard that we have already been using. We are prepared to present to the Court an officer's enforcement history, and a fully documented explanation as to why a particular stop was lawful.

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1. What statistics does the Lexington Police Department keep on race and other demographics of people that are stopped by Lexington police?
2. Do you have any statistics on motor vehicle stops and citations given to people of color?
3. Can you provide data on the number of traffic stops that occur on a daily basis?
4. When was the last time a police officer discharged their weapon in Lexington?
5. How many complaints have been filed against the Lexington Police in the last 5 years, and what is the status of those complaints?
6. How will the Lexington police change its data collection or other practices to respond to the recent Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court decision changing the standard relating to racial profiling?