Cambridge hires third party to review police department after fatal shooting of college student
CAMBRIDGE - The city of Cambridge is handing off the review of police protocols to a third-party team of experts.
There were protests after officers shot and killed Arif Sayed Faisel. Police say the college student charged at them with a knife.
A team of consultants will review that case as well as use-of-force training and how to handle mental health crises.
"They will help us continue to learn and grow from the January 4th fatal shooting, particularly from the lens of our policies and procedures. Additionally, we expect they will help us with recommendations on less-than-lethal alternatives, how we could evolve the department and city's capacity for alternative responses to mental health crisis; and identify new or enhanced prospective training opportunities that would support safe, effective crisis response services to residents with behavioral health challenges," said Police Commissioner Christine Elow.
The seven-member team of consultants from Washington, D.C.-based Police Executive Research Forum will include four law enforcement professionals, including training experts, and three civilian members, one of whom specializes in officer-involved shooting investigations.
Cambridge is promising to release the results to the public.
