REIMAGINING

COMMUNITY
SAFETY IN
SOMERVILLE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INCIDENT PREVENTION,
INTERVENTION, AND RESPONSE

2020
PRODUCED BY THE SOMERVILLE TROTTER COLLABORATIVE TEAM
Table of Contents

1 Executive Summary

2 Background

3 Findings

4 Recommendations

5 Conclusion

6 Acknowledgments

7 Appendices
 Executive Summary
Although the City of Somerville has City lacks robust systems to prevent
engaged in efforts to reform policing, and address harms to resident safety
opportunities remain to reimagine
and wellbeing, including accessible
public safety more broadly through
improving incident prevention, and adequate affordable housing,
alternative intervention, and holistic comprehensive healthcare
response.
(especially mental health services),

As students in the MLD-375: Creating and strong systems of community

Justice in Real Time: Vision, Strategies, support. Regarding policing, many

and Campaigns class at the Harvard residents (especially those who

Kennedy School, we worked in identify as persons of color,

partnership with our teaching team, the immigrants, or those who are

William Monroe Trotter Collaborative for mentally ill or have substance use

Social Justice, and the City of Somerville disorders) have had at least some

to develop this report, which aims to negative interaction with police or

inform the City’s efforts to reimagine avoided calling the police due to

policing and emergency response. Our fear of a violent response. Other

findings are based on interviews findings include that the City lacks

conducted with community members effective non-police responses to

and City officials as well as our analyses non-violent incidents, diverse

of existing literature and available City representation at the City and

data. Regarding safety, we found that the crucial decision making tables, and

01
transparency and accountability for We share in our recommendations

the City generally and the Somerville existing programs throughout the

Police Department (SPD) specifically. country that tackle issues of incident

Our recommendations comprise prevention, alternative intervention,

different aims that the City should and holistic response that we believe

pursue in achieving these goals, the City could consider adopting to

including: improve its own policies and

programming, as well as other best
Dedicating sufficient resources
practice recommendations.
to the community to foster

safety,

Developing a consolidated and

publicly available map of
community assets,
Restructuring Somerville’s 911

and dispatch procedures,

Implementing applicable
alternative intervention and holistic
response programming,
Improving the City and SPD’s

data transparency practices

Accelerating progress towards City of Somerville. (2017). [The Wellbeing of Somerville Report].
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf

more diverse representation at the

City, and
Clarifying the authority of the

new Racial and Social Justice

Director

02
 Background
In this section, we provide a brief explanation of our partnership with the City,
an overview of the scope and methodology of our report, and an analysis of the
factors - past and present - that should be considered when evaluating public safety
in Somerville.

How This Research Came About... understanding to help the City

1
Through the MLD 375 course at the reimagine community safety broadly

Harvard Kennedy School, we worked through the lens of incident

with community organizations, staff of prevention, alternative intervention,

the William Monroe Trotter and holistic response.

Collaborative for Social Justice, and

government stakeholders in the City of Scope
Somerville to reimagine policing and This report includes a review and
emergency response. Our team analysis of policing and emergency
developed this report to uplift the response in the City of Somerville
visions of community residents and from conversations conducted with a
provide City officials with specific diverse group of City and community
plans and strategies for them to stakeholders. The report's scope
consider when improving public safety centers specifically on efforts led by
in Somerville. Our team is from the Mayor’s Office and other City
different schools across Harvard departments. The Somerville City
University, including Harvard College, Council and their work on civilian
Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Law oversight was expressly not included
School, and the Harvard Chan School in our purview. This project does not
of Public Health. Our goal for this include an evaluation of the
report is to provide context and Somerville Fire Department. We also

03
did not speak with representatives Document and Data Review

from the police union, though efforts City budgets: We used multiple

were made to contact them. All sources of information to analyze City

recommendations and analyses budget data for FY2021, specifically: 1)

provided in this report are from our The City of Somerville website,

own findings (outside of brief including the Mayor’s presentation of

mentions of the City’s community these data; 2) Conversations with City

listening sessions) and are completely staff, including Budget Manager

independent from the work being Michael Mastrobuoni; and 3) Budget

conducted by the City of Somerville. reports from four additional cities for
comparable data, including: Malden,

Methodology Fall River, New Bedford, and Lawrence.

Police dispatch policies: Our team
Below we share the methodology we
spoke with a Somerville 911 dispatcher,
used to produce this research and
who outlined the basic structure of a
provide our recommendations.
call for service in Somerville and
provided significant context
surrounding the dispatch process in
Somerville. We also reviewed SPD
policies related to dispatch and
communications and reviewed best
2
practices from dispatch literature.
Police data: The City of Somerville
provided our team with a dataset of
police incident data from January 1,
2016, through October 25, 2020.

04
It included breakdowns by incident Sessions held by the City of Somerville
data and type. A Senior Crime Analyst from July through October 2020.
for SPD cleaned and organized this Though we can’t go into specific

data for us and categorized it into five participant identities, comments, or

broad categories: Incident Response, experiences due to concerns about

Proactive Enforcement, Proactive confidentiality, our team received

Engagement, Traffic/Motor Vehicle permission to reference their

Enforcement, and Traffic Incident recommendations in this report.

Response. Our team based our Public Hearings: We reviewed the

conclusions on our own categorization audio from the public comment

of these incident classifications as well. hearing on the FY2021 budget held by

We acknowledge that there are the City on June 24, 2020, as well as

limitations in our analysis because the the accompanying written public

labels were assigned by Somerville 911 comments.

dispatchers that tagged the incidents

based on initial information obtained Interviews

from callers. As such, incidents may We conducted interviews with two

have evolved and changed from the groups of respondents: 1) service

code initially assigned. For our analysis, providers and community

we organized and reviewed incident organizations including justice

classifications into their relevant sub- advocacy groups, and 2) Somerville

categories (see Appendix A). municipal department staff.

Community Listening Sessions: On

November 13, 2020, two members of
the Trotter Collaborative team
attended the reflection event of the
ten Systemic Racism Listening

05
Community organizations and 1) the Mayor’s Office; 2) SPD; 3) Office

service providers: Though of Immigrant Affairs (OIA); 4) Public

comprising a small proportion of all Information; 5) Community Outreach
the community organizations and Help and Recovery (COHR, part of
service providers engaged in the SPD); 6) Health and Human Services
issues of public health and safety in (HHS); 7) Budget Management; 8)
Somerville, the thirteen Office of Diversity, Equity, and
organizations we interviewed shared Inclusion; and 9) Somerville 911 (part of
a diverse range of perspectives and SPD).
included some of the largest
community-based organizations in We spoke with representatives from
Somerville. These interviews these departments about the work
explored perspectives on they do and their perspectives on
community safety, the reimagining community safety and reimagining
of policing, and areas of policing in Somerville.
improvement for the City in
promoting racial and social justice Observation of community listening
and supporting the Somerville session review: As mentioned above,
community broadly. Interviewees two members of the Trotter
included: six service providers, four
community-based organizations,
and three justice advocacy groups.
Interviews with City departments:
Over the course of our collaboration
with the City, project liaison
Christine Koh connected us with 20
representatives from nine different
City of Somerville. (2017). [The Wellbeing of Somerville Report].
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf
City departments and sub-
departments:
06
 City of Somerville FY21 Budget Organizational Chart

City staff, service

providers, parents,
seniors, and students.
Mayor Curtatone and
some City Councilors
listened in on these
sessions, and some
were facilitated by
community liaisons
from the OIA. While
the purpose was to
“educate policy
makers… about the
needs and concerns
of residents closest to
the pain [and]
experiencing systemic
racism in the City,”
our team received
permission to
Collaborative team attended the reflection event in
consider the session
November that summarized the City's findings from
recommendations in
listening sessions they held during the last few
this report given their
months. These sessions included 70 participants in
relevance to and
total and involved communities of color, immigrant
overlap with our own.
communities, business owners, faith leaders,

07
 Current National
and Local Context
In the City of Somerville, local Of the 151 of those who spoke,
residents came together to hold 148 spoke in support of
protests and vigils following George defunding the police
Floyd’s murder in May 2020. As of
department and reinvesting
those funds into housing,
November 8, 2020, the Washington
education, and other public
Post found that police have killed 977
services.
people this year alone and 5,750 since
2015. Of those killed this year, 28% of almost 300 public comments were
them were Black - despite Black also submitted, all of which supported
people only making up 13% of the these reinvestments in lieu of the city's
country’s population. In response to focus on #8Can’tWait reforms. In many
the deaths of George Floyd and ways, the City of Somerville has
countless others, more than 600 indicated an interest in making
people came to the Somerville changes and investments to
Finance Committee’s FY21 proposed emergency response and community
3
budget meeting on June 24th. Of the safety. On June 3, 2020, Mayor
151 of those who spoke, 148 spoke in Curtatone announced that the City of
support of defunding the police Somerville would “continue ongoing
department and reinvesting those efforts to deliver just, unbiased, and
funds into housing, education, and compassionate policing to the
other public services. Many of those community via a number of new
speakers said they were signatories of initiatives and efforts that draw from
a Defund SPD petition to defund the policy platforms.” SPD adopted police
police department that had more reform policies from the #8Can’tWait
than 4,000 signatures. Another
08
initiative of Campaign Zero, a data- First, the City of Somerville
informed platform led by activists that announced that the Chief of
provides policy solutions to end police Police, David Fallon, is retiring on
5
violence. Mayor Curtatone also submitted December 11, 2020. Charles
a budget for fiscal year 2021 that allocated Femino will be serving as the
$1.6 million to new racial and social justice Acting Chief of Police but is not
initiatives. While some of the proposed eligible to apply for the
funding would support initiatives like permanent position. For that
increasing Family and Community reason, it will likely take months
Liaisons to full-time benefited positions in for the police chief selection
public schools in Somerville, the committee to find, interview, and
remaining $1 million would support the select a candidate. Second, the
City’s new Racial and Social Justice (RSJ) City is hiring a RSJ Director to
Project. While these efforts are notable, “change the institutional and
concerns remain that reforms have not structural systems that create
significantly curbed incidents of police racial and social disparities" and
violence, reduced the disproportionate create an RSJ Office. 6 The director
impact of violence on marginalized will also be playing a key role in
communities, or addressed gaps in public allocating monies from the
safety systems. We hope the inaugural RSJ Fund, which is a
recommendations we provide give the funding source for “implementing
City of Somerville tools for addressing community-identified strategies to
these remaining concerns. In addition, redress the impacts and

there are two significant personnel deconstruct the underlying causes

7
changes occurring in the City that we of racial and social injustice.”

believe makes this moment uniquely Therefore, we believe the city

opportune for making progress around should use these changes as an

4
emergency response and policing. opportunity to reimagine its
public safety.
09
 Timeline of Somerville
Police Reform and Racial
and Social Justice Efforts
In order to understand the context of discrimination and settled for
reimagining policing in the City of 8
$14,000 in 1979. Despite the racism
Somerville, our team researched past
Officer Moore faced in the 1970s, the
reforms and efforts around racial and
social justice conducted by the City. City of Somerville has since
grounded many of its official policy
In 1973, SPD hired its first Black police
decisions in international
officer, Francis Moore. We start here to
humanitarianism. The City created
provide a name and additional context
the Somerville Affirmative Action
to the police department’s integration
plan in 1980 and committed to
process. During his tenure at SPD, Officer
representative hiring practices that
Moore faced significant racism from
uplift Somerville’s minority
people in the Somerville community. He
populations. Recognizing the need
also received multiple suspensions from
to identify safe spaces for refugees
SPD for minor offenses like missing roll
seeking asylum in the United States,
calls and failing to wash police cars while
the City of Somerville declared itself
in uniform. He was eventually dismissed
a Sanctuary City in 1987 and followed
in 1976 when he refused orders to
this declaration with human rights
conduct foot patrol without a service
legislation in the early 1990s. The
weapon in an area known for its open
Mayor’s Office also responded to
hostility towards Black people. He
local incidents of racialized violence
eventually sued the City for
by creating a task force to

10
investigate and respond to these the fatal shooting by Somerville police
issues and their root causes. Mayor of Carol Kingsely, a 33-year-old white
Joseph Curtatone, Somerville’s woman, while she was in the midst of a
current mayor, has been a driving behavioral health crisis. This tragedy led
force of police and social justice SPD to incorporate the Crisis
reform since he took office in 2005. Intervention Team Training and
As part of his early Technical Assistance Center into the
administrative efforts, Mayor department to ensure that officers have
Curtatone commissioned a at least 40 hours of training in mental
report about SPD’s current health crisis de-escalation. Additionally,
status and areas for the COHR team, made up of behavioral
improvement. The resulting health clinicians and case managers,
Harshbarger Report, delivered in was embedded within the police
September 2005, noted gaps department in 2016 to conduct crisis
within the department and made intervention trainings, facilitate arrest
9
recommendations for reform. diversion programs, and assist officers
These changes ranged from being with mental health crisis response.
administrative, like creating a More recently, Mayor Curtatone has
Police Duty Manual for all officers, focused on ensuring the police
to structural, like geographic department can effectively respond to
reorganization of the department drug overdoses by carrying Narcan and
10
into distinct districts. Mayor working with an overdose after-care
Curtatone responded to these community outreach team. The City
recommendations and outlined a has worked with the Chief of Police to
plan for their implementation. In begin an annual review of incidents
recent years, SPD has focused on with potential bias and set limitations
bolstering its response to on surveillance technology and officer
behavioral health concerns in the use of force.
community, particularly following 11
 1973
SPD hires its first Black police officer, Ofc. Francis
Moore.

1980
The Somerville Affirmative Action Plan is
approved and commits to representative
hiring at the City level. This commitment was 1987
renewed in 1985. The City of Somerville passes the Sanctuary City
Resolution. The Welcome Project is founded “to
1990 address racial tensions in the recently-integrated
Members of the Somerville Women’s community.”
Commission and the Somerville Coalition for
Racial and Ethnic Justice meet with Mayor 1991
Capuano regarding increasing minority Mayor’s Task Force on Racism and Violence is
employment in City Hall. founded in response to local incidents of racialized
violence.
1992
“Count on Me” Campaign is founded in
solidarity with human rights for all.
City creates Human Rights position,
8 SEPTEMBER 2005
Ordinance, and Commission.
Commissioned in April 2005 to investigate the status
of the SPD, the Harshbarger Report is delivered to
23 SEPTEMBER 2005 Mayor Curtatone outlining recommendations for
Mayor Curtatone issues plan to reorganize reform.
SPD based on Harshbarger report. Plan
includes: Removing Chief position from MA
Civil Service and creating East and West
2008
Districts to distribute police into Intentional SPD hiring practices reflect some
neighborhoods and emphasize community communities of color, including Haitian Creole and
policing. Latinx communities.
2010
Carol Kingsely is shot and killed by SPD
officers while she is in the midst of a
behavioral health crisis.
2012
SPD creates Mental Health Jail Diversion Program.
A civilian domestic violence advocate position is
2013
embedded in SPD.
The Crisis Intervention Team-Training and
Technical Assistance Center (CIT-TTAC)
opens at SPD to facilitate behavioral health 12
crisis response and training.
 2014
Limits are placed on police power to detain
people and report them to Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE).
SPD officers begin carrying Narcan.

2015
SPD develops a partnership to refer youth
involved with drug use, gang activity, and
violence to Roca, a community social
services provider.
2016
The Community Outreach Help and Recovery
(COHR) clinical team is embedded within SPD.
2017
The Executive Policy on Surveillance
Technology limits police ability to use
surveillance to only temporary (less than 30 2018
day) periods and exceptional circumstances. The first SPD annual review of police
incidents involving potential bias takes place.
2019
The ACCESS grant allows for overdose follow-
up in partnership with an after-care team.
31 AUGUST 2019
SPD assists Boston Police and other
jurisdictions with crowd control at "Straight
Pride Parade." Police actions lead to citizen
complaints of controversial crowd control
FALL 2019 techniques.
SPD Officer Michael McGrath pepper sprays a man
in handcuffs and in custody. Though placed on
administrative leave after the incident, McGrath
does not face charges until October 2020. 25 MAY 2020
SPD issues an after-action report with plans to
reform crowd control response following "Straight George Floyd is killed by Minneapolis police
Pride Parade" on August 31. officers, sparking uprisings against police
brutality around the country.
JUNE 2020
Mayor Curtatone declares state of
emergency because of systemic racism and
announces commitment to reimagining SEPTEMBER 2020
The Trotter Collaborative begins to meet with City
policing, including:
and community representatives to build
-Creation of Race and Social Justice Project
recommendations for reimagining policing and
-City Council-initiated process to create civilian
oversight board community safety in Somerville.
-A 4.3% decrease in the SPD budget 13
 Literature Review of the Social
Determinants of Health and
Violence

“Violence is seldom random. Rather it is "the conditions in the environments

the result of an interplay between
in which people are born, live, learn,
individuals and their environment.”
- Division of Violence Prevention, work, play, worship, and age that
National Center for Injury Prevention affect a wide range of health,
and Control, Centers for Disease Control
functioning, and quality-of-life
and Prevention 11
13
outcomes and risks." These

On June 4, 2020, Mayor Curtatone determinants are well-documented

declared a local state of emergency in and described under five key

Somerville, officially deeming systemic components: economic stability,

racism a threat to public health and education, social and community

12
safety. In his statement, Mayor Curtatone context, health and health care, and

described the need to address both the neighborhood and built

root causes and destructive impacts of environment.

systemic racism as an imperative for the

nation. We conducted a literature review
of the social determinants of health and
violence to consider what factors affect
the wellbeing of Somerville civilians and
occurrence of violence in the city to
inform our findings and
recommendations.
Social Determinants of Health: The

social determinants of health refer to

14
 16
The 2017 “Wellbeing of Somerville” to mental health services. Enacting
report was a key tool for understanding reforms to the City’s incident
how these factors are at play in prevention, alternate intervention, and
Somerville and exacerbate conditions holistic response policies and
for minority, immigrant, and poor programming will help Somerville
14
residents. better address the social determinants
Social Determinants of Violence: The of health and violence that affect
social determinants of violence have resident wellbeing and safety. This is
been less explored. The latest strategic evidenced by the demonstrated
vision of the Center for Disease Control effectiveness of expanding access to
and Prevention’s Division of Violence health care and specifically substance-
Prevention focused on “connecting the abuse treatment to reduce local
17, 18
dots” between multiple forms of crime. Insights generated directly
violence, which have been shown to from incarcerated people align with
share common risk and protective the same key factors. A recent study by
15
factors. Key risk factors include Slate and The Marshall Project asked
growing up and living in impoverished nearly 2,400 incarcerated people:
environments; being exposed to “What services or programs would
harmful norms about violence, gender, have helped to keep you from
and race/ethnicity; and experiencing committing the crime(s) that led to
high stress, such as that caused by your incarceration?” The three most
racism and family conflict. Key common responses were: therapy
protective factors include (citing struggles with mental health,
connectedness (e.g., to a caring adult, domestic violence, and drug
prosocial peers, and one’s addiction), affordable housing, and a
19
school/community) and access living wage.

15
As Somerville pursues pathways to implemented, empirical evidence

foster greater safety, justice, and suggests notable limitations. Importantly,

healing, the City must also consider these approaches also lack an upstream,

policing and police brutality in the primary prevention public health frame.

ecosystem of social determinants of A public health strategy that centers

violence. community safety and prevents law

enforcement violence should favor

"For decades now, communities have community-built and community-based

been told that the only resource they solutions. APHA recommends the

can have to address their community following actions by federal, state, tribal,
and local authorities: (1) eliminate
problems is more policing and more
policies and practices that facilitate
incarceration."
20 disproportionate violence against specific
- Social scientist Alex Vitale
populations (including laws
criminalizing these populations), (2)
The American Public Health
institute robust law enforcement
Association issued a policy statement
accountability measures, (3) increase
in 2018 that called for the need to
investment in promoting racial and
address safety, including police
21 economic equity to address social
violence, through a prevention lens.
determinants of health, (4) implement
Summarizing the issue and
introducing recommendations, it community based alternatives to address

reads: "While interventions for harms and prevent trauma, and (5) work

improving policing quality to reduce with public health officials to

violence (e.g., community-oriented comprehensively document law

policing, training, body/dashboard- enforcement contact, violence, and

22

mounted cameras, and conducted injuries." Though Somerville has made

electrical weapons) have been efforts towards police reform, SPD

16
remains far from immune to direct and the president of the police union
25
officer violence. A report generated at the time of this writing.
from a public records request found Understanding policing as a source of
that Somerville police officers had structural and interpersonal violence,
reportedly used force 83 times especially to marginalized
23
between January 2018 and July 2020. communities, highlights the need for
One of these officers, the President of the City to recognize how certain at
the Somerville Police Union Michael risk and in need populations may not
McGrath, had used force three times be utilizing available public safety
within this period prior to pepper resources. This understanding also
spraying a man he handcuffed in allows the City to evaluate how public
24
custody in October 2019. He currently safety reform or reimagining policing
faces assault and battery charges should involve decoupling elements of
levied by the Middlesex County District emergency response services from the
Attorney in October 2020. Officer police to minimize possible resident
McGrath was placed on administrative exposure and harm.
leave but remains employed with SPD

City of Somerville. (2020). [Somervision 2040]. http://www.somervision2040.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/01/SomerVision.pdf

17
 Findings
Below are our findings from interviews with community organizations, service providers,
and City officials. Our conclusions are also based on our research and analysis of
information and data focused on three areas: incident prevention, alternative
intervention, and holistic response.

Summary of Conversations with stability, health care (particularly

Community Organizations and mental health care), education,

Service Providers transportation, and strong systems of

mutual aid and community support.
Below are our findings produced
Gender equity, a sense of safety in
through twelve interviews and one
public, and having someone to turn
written statement submitted from
toward in times of need were also
community-based organizations,
mentioned. Three respondents also
service providers, and justice advocacy
discussed the need for stronger
organizations under three categories:
systems for addressing harm when it
perspectives on safety, perspectives on
occurs, including for hate crimes and
policing, and areas of improvement to
incidents of police brutality. One group
better support the community
discussed the need for greater
particularly with regards to racial and
restorative and transformative justice
social justice.
solutions which differ from the punitive
26
approach of the criminal legal system.
Perspectives on Safety Almost all

respondents who discussed “If all you have is a hammer,

community safety described it in terms everything looks like a nail.”
of violence prevention, including - Community organization respondent
accessible and adequate housing

18
Two groups cited the police's leadership in recent years, almost every
presence as positive for public safety organization shared at least some (or in
(both specifically mentioned the some cases numerous) negative
Mystic Housing Development area, interactions between police, themselves
and one also mentioned traffic as individuals, and/or, more often, the
enforcement near the Green Line people they serve. This was especially
construction area). However, at least the case for those who are people of
one respondent from each of the color, immigrants, have mentally illness,
three organization types (community or suffer from substance use disorders.
organizations, service providers, and The incidents include the following:
justice advocacy organizations) cited direct harassment by officers,
the need for safety from police unnecessary criminalization (particularly
violence and unnecessary of youths or those who are mentally ill
criminalization. or have substance use disorders), police
presence deterring community
Perspectives on Policing members from services, and harmful

"You want to change policies and differences between official department

reform, but all the people that have policy and rank-and-file actions. It is

the true stories of injustices are too notable that these interviews did not

scared to put their face to their focus on specific interactions with

instances. And rightfully so." officers. However, respondents

-Community organization discussed how these incidents, as well

respondent as the systemic impacts of policing

Despite multiple respondents having across communities, contribute to a

some positive relationships with and sense of fear that is disproportionately
citing positive actions taken by SPD felt by the communities noted above.

19
Just under half of respondents also recommendations:

mentioned positive interactions with Expand and improve non-police

police, specifically in which the police responses to crises: Most

responded quickly, successfully de- respondents expressed a need for
escalated one notable incident, or had crisis intervention support that is
respectful communication. Several not a police response. Many
respondents also noted some believed this would lead to
community members avoid calling improved services and avoid the
police due to fear of a violent response. risk of unnecessary and
These sentiments were especially felt by detrimental contact with the
those who are people of color, non- criminal legal system. For that
English speaking, immigrant, poor, same reason, respondents noted
and/or undocumented. It also included that while COHR is a useful
those who were in families of people community resource, it should be
who experience behavioral crises. moved out from under the
purview of SPD and into HHS.
With regards to reimagining policing,
They advised that resources to
respondents provided five main
call in a crisis should be better
tailored to the needs of the
person in crisis, especially for
behavioral health issues and non-
violent community issues like
truancy. On this topic, multiple
respondents cited the need to
route 911 calls to appropriate
types of response more effectively

20
by moving the 911 department out Redistribute resources towards

of SPD. Few alternatives to police prevention: Most respondents also

response currently exist and there recommended a redistribution of

is little awareness of those City resources from SPD directly to

services, such as the Boston communities and community-

Emergency Services Team (BEST). based organizations that can

BEST was described by multiple support prevention of the need for

respondents as a useful resource emergency response. Areas

but one that it is currently under- mentioned as in need of additional

resourced and thus often lacks investment are noted in the

the ability to respond in a timely “Perspectives on safety” section

manner, during which time above (e.g., housing stability,

situations can escalate and lead mental health care, and education).

to police also being called. Take meaningful steps towards

Limit and define the role of greater transparency and

police: Most respondents noted a accountability on behalf of SPD:

need to both limit and better A third of respondents articulated

define the role of police in this need. They also asked for
Somerville. Multiple groups increased representation of the
recommended that the SPD diversity of the community in SPD,
should be decoupled from social particularly around language and
services (such as separating the race.
COHR program from SPD, as Explore the historical rationale
noted above). Respondents also behind and current work toward
stressed the need to remove police abolition: Two respondents
police from schools and eliminate recommended the City adopt a
their traffic, construction, and long-term strategy towards
health incident response duties. achieving police abolition by

21
investing in community resources so community by recognizing the
that any amount of police violence is no fullness of the community,
27
longer necessary. A specific resource [including its] residents,
recommended for this topic include organizations, and agencies
28
the #8toAbolition reforms. - who share the desired outcomes

City of Somerville. (2020). [Somervision 2040]. http://www.somervision2040.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/01/SomerVision.pdf

Areas of improvement to better of a healthy, safe community.”

support the community, particularly - Service provider respondent
around racial and social justice On how the City can better
support the community, two main
“If the City doesn’t consider [schools, themes were mentioned by almost
residents, and community-based all respondents: more diverse
organizations] as active and worthy of representation in City Hall and “at
engagement and informing policy, the table” for City decision-making,
[there are] miss[ing] opportunities. The and more financial investment in

City can continue to better support the community resources with specific

22
emphasis on violence prevention. was by ensuring language access for
all. Greater financial investments are
Diverse representation is lacking also needed for improved access to

at service providing organizations housing, mental health, and education

and the City at all levels. Authentic services and the creation of a robust,

representation was noted as inclusive, and well-coordinated social

particularly lacking in City leadership safety net for all residents throughout

positions and at City decision- the Somerville community. Multiple

making tables. Additionally, more respondents stressed that, while

social services and emergency Somerville is more advanced in

responses need to be run and staffed providing community resources

by people who speak resident when compared to other cities and
languages and are from the same towns in the region and nationally,
communities as the people in need accessible services are not currently
of support. Community organizers sufficient to foster community
and other representatives wanted safety for all - especially in terms of
their opinions to be included early on affordable housing. While SomerViva
in City processes and given greater and other programs are noted as “a
respect and weight in City decision good start,” the City should focus on
making. Multiple respondents also demonstrating outcomes for poor
cited a need for greater residents and communities of color.
transparency and follow through Residents mentioned that more
from the City more broadly on its leaders for youth programs, behavioral
community programs and initiatives. health workers, and social workers are
One way to do so, participants said, needed. However, they cautioned that

23
professional qualifications (like inclusive of those who have
requirements for an advanced degree) experienced feeling unsafe in
should be carefully considered to their communities. Processes
29
prevent the exclusion of some should be participatory and
qualified community members from designed to account for the fact
being hired to address issues in their that those most impacted are
communities. Respondents believed also likely the most
that the City could become a leader in uncomfortable voicing their
the development of a robust safety net opinions in the same spaces as
and should partner with the state and SPD given the differential power
local regions (like Medford, Malden, dynamic.
Cambridge, etc.) towards these Better educate the community
improvements given the about available community
interconnectedness of these issues. resources.
This could include, for example, Expand existing and develop
working with other legislatures on more diversion programs,
regional policies to address the particularly for drug crimes.
availability of affordable housing and Foster greater civic engagement,
impact of gentrification. Multiple including through ensuring
respondents also cited the following language access and adopting a
additional recommendations: participatory budgeting process.
Clarify the authority (including

responsibilities, powers, and How these findings relate to

goals) of the new RSJ Director to recommendations from

ensure they can speak frankly and community listening sessions

reflect multiple community voices. It is notable that almost every

Relatedly, the City should ensure recommendation listed here is also
that its reimagining of policing is

24
mentioned in the community listening in our Acknowledgements section).
sessions under the following topics: 1) From these conversations, we found
Access to Decision-Making and a few consistent themes, also
Resources, 2) Representation, and 3) organized by safety, policing, and
Transparency and Equitable areas for improvement.
Application of Rules. Few respondents
from our interviews focused on Perspectives on key priorities for
education, and while some discussed community safety
cross-cultural understanding, few "We have to give people not just a
recommended anti-bias training. feeling but knowledge that they are

safe in the community and have

Summary of Conversations with City standing in the community."
30
Stakeholders - Mayor Joseph Curtatone
In addition to the interviews we City representatives across
conducted with community departments acknowledged that the
stakeholders, our team met with 20 needs expressed by Somerville
representatives from nine different community members should define
departments at the City (listed in full

City of Somerville. (2017). [The Wellbeing of Somerville Report].

https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf

25
the City’s community safety work. responding to the same people over
Though perspectives diverged and over again.” - COHR
somewhat across departments, All departments we met with had
most City representatives positive experiences to share about
mentioned that the impact of the SPD. Clinicians from COHR in
COVID-19 and the call to reimagine particular expressed how the police
policing are key to their work. have unique relationships with
Representatives from HHS stressed individuals in the community and
the importance of facilitating can therefore provide useful clinical
access to resources to community information to the COHR team. HHS
residents and noted that immigrant representatives described a close
communities specifically face working relationship between the
unique barriers to access. Chief of police department and RESPOND, a
Police David Fallon also provided us local provider responding to
with his vision of community safety: domestic violence in the community.
“My vision would be working in Representatives from OIA and Public
collaboration [with] community Information shared a mixed view
[members] to fully grasp what from the community members with
[community safety] means to them whom they work with by saying that
[...] [E]very member[‘s definition] is some individuals “have asked for
31
individualized”. more and better policing, [while
others] have been harassed [by
Perspectives on policing police]” and are reluctant to speak
32
Police relations out about issues. Members of SPD
“The unique perspective that police reflected on their relationship with
have and the impressions that the community, citing that while

they have are so helpful because some facets of the Somerville

they know people, they’re often community receive proactive police

26
support through outreach programs, response, given the uncertainty of many
33
others are “difficult to reach at times.” emergency situations; instead, these
representatives focused on co-locating

Police reform mental health clinicians, homeless

“Culture is very important in an

organization [...]. Culture in the police

department always trumps policy.”

- Chief of Police David Fallon

Barriers to police reform expressed by

City representatives included funding
limitations, both in the flexibility of the
budget and general financial
City of Somerville. (2017). [The Wellbeing of Somerville Report].
limitations (e.g., costs of adding 24/7 https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf

mental health responders to SPD or as advocates, and other non-police

a separate emergency response entity). responders within the department to
OIA reiterated trust as a barrier to the enhance the effectiveness of police
effectiveness of reforms. However, they incident intervention.
did mention the utility of the
anonymous tip line the City created to Representatives from several
enhance police accountability. SPD departments including Somerville
representatives mentioned the need 911, OIA, Somerstat, and HHS echoed
for a culture shift among the police these sentiments. Mental health
rank-and-file whenever reforms are specialists and psychologists trained
proposed, a shift they said takes time in de-escalation were suggested as
and intentionality to implement. All individuals who could take the lead
representatives from the City we spoke on behavioral health emergency
to were generally wary of the safety response with police as support in
and effectiveness of an unarmed

27
case incidents became violent. SPD have rights to be where they are. I just
stakeholders cited the wish there was more housing for
foundational nature of the training individuals and services to keep them
that already exists (e.g., a budget engaged and off the street.”
allocated to paying for training - Somerville 911
initiatives and the training of 60-
In addition to outlining their
70% of officers in crisis de-
perspectives on and visions for
escalation) and the burgeoning
community safety, City representatives
diversion programs being run in
shared their views on areas in greatest
partnership with the Middlesex
need of improvement. Stakeholders
County District Attorney’s Office.
from COHR, SPD, and the Mayor’s Office
Several departments mentioned
cited a need to invest more in
the BEST team as an existing
behavioral health resources (mental
alternative to police for emergent
34 health and substance use alike). Several
mental health crisis response.
representatives mentioned the dearth
While the BEST team provides
of available behavioral health resources
crisis evaluation and treatment
within the City of Somerville or an
services, it lacks the resources to
accessible distance, particularly for
provide emergency response akin
those community members who may
to that of police. These limitations
be income or housing insecure. For that
include long response times, lack
reason, we discussed with City
of widespread knowledge of the
stakeholders the importance of a
resource, and insufficient staffing.
uniform, comprehensive, and publicly-
available asset map for community
On areas for improvement
members to identify the resources that
“If there would be one area, I’d say
do exist, as we will discuss further in our
it would be housing; individuals

28
 City of Somerville. (2020). [Somervision 2040]. http://www.somervision2040.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/01/SomerVision.pdf

recommendations. Though the Individuals from OIA articulated

City of Somerville has engaged in a need to improve trust between
numerous discrete efforts to community members and
identify the full range of government officials, particularly
government resources, it currently in immigrant communities who
lacks a single source available to may not readily trust attempts
the public that includes resources made to include their voices in
beyond government services. City participatory processes. The
stakeholders conceded that Budget Manager finally cited
community members may not be logistical difficulties with
aware or taking advantage of all engagement and transparency
services available to them as a when communicating with
result. These stakeholders also community members and
noted a need for permanent seeking to involve them in
housing for people experiencing budgeting processes.
homelessness and workforce
development programs.

29
 Budget Analysis
The City of Somerville’s municipal or 3.62% of the budget - goes to non-
funding consists of its capital salaries for SPD. $508,896 out of
investments and budget appropriations. $18,219,378 (2.79%) goes to non-salaries
In FY21, it amounts to $ 262,670,264. for Somerville Fire Department.
Capital investments and projects cover $721,880 out of $3,788,466 (19.05%)
the creation and maintenance of city goes to non-salaries for the
building, road, environmental, and other Department of HHS. Somerville city
community assets. These investments officials state that its budget reflects its
and projects total $113,476,193 for FY21 public funding priorities. They
and are funded through city bonds, explained that these priorities include
operational and stabilization funding, increasing equity amongst the
free cash, federal grants, and more. The community and investing in solving
City’s yearly budget revenue comes from community problems. This year in
a variety of sources. 70.4% of it for the particular, due to a decrease in revenue
upcoming fiscal year comes from (for example, the state projects that
property taxes alone. Generally, most of there will be a 25% decrease in state
the City’s budget is spent on the salary, aid by $6.7 million and $3 million
healthcare, and pension costs of its decrease in lost revenue from fines and
employees, which the City estimates to forfeits) and concerns around COVID-
include about 1,800 people including 19, the City has remained focused on
those who work in the City’s school promoting public health and retaining
system. This is also the case for the City’s City employment. However, we have
public safety funding specifically. Only spoken with many City officials and
$542,700 out of $14,989,552 in spending - residents that would like the City’s

30
budget to more directly align with were dissimilar in multiple spending
community needs. Somerville’s City and resident metrics. Therefore, for our
Council responded to resident calls to analysis, we used the following cities
defund SPD this past summer by and towns in the Commonwealth of
reducing the Police Department Massachusetts based on their
Personal Services budget by $650,000 similarities in population, crime, and/or
and the Ordinary Maintenance budget by general fund budget levels: Malden,
$92,000. The cuts to Personal Services Fall River, New Bedford, and Lawrence.
include a $266,634 reduction to salaries, a
$68,821 reduction to holiday and shift City of Somerville
Population - 82,161
differential lines, and $314,545 reduction Crime - 14.8%
38

to temporary salaries and wages,

overtime costs, and court timelines.
City of New Bedford
Much of the funding taken from SPD Population - 81,652
Crime - 31.7%
went toward the funding of a new 40

position for an RSJ Director within the

35
City as mentioned above. To set the City of Malden
Population - 61,036
foundation for budget cuts and Crime - 12.7%
37

reinvestments in public safety, we

decided to compare the city’s public
City of Fall River
safety spending with its peers. We Population - 89,661
Crime - 25.3%
39
acknowledge that other analyses have
been done in the past - most recently in
36
the Mayor’s budget presentation. City of Lawrence
Population - 80.376
However, we noted that many of the Crime - 17.9% 41

other cities in his comparison were of

other populous cities in the country that

31
We found that Somerville has the was in the middle of the cities in its

second lowest crime rate per spending at $17,547,431 for the

45
1,000 residents of our cities upcoming fiscal year. Finally, the City of

analyzed at 14.8%. The city’s crime Somerville is the second lowest of its

rate has also been continually peers in the number of chiefs, deputy

decreasing over the past several chiefs, sergeants, lieutenants, and patrol
46
42
years. With $262,670,264 for the officers they employ with 125 officers.

upcoming fiscal year, it has the Due to the city’s high public safety

second smallest amount of the spending relative to its general fund

five cities allocated to the general budget and crime levels when

fund in its budget. However, it compared to other similarly situated

spent the highest percentage of cities, we believe the City of Somerville

its budget on public safety at can make further deductions to its SPD
43, 44

17.74%. funding and reallocate these monies to

existing and new incident prevention,

When focusing on funding to the alternative intervention, and holistic

police department specifically, response programs, as we will explain in

however, the City of Somerville further detail in our recommendations

section.

TOTAL PUBLIC SAFETY POLICE DEPT POLICE DEPT

CITY
BUDGET SPENDING (%) SPENDING STAFFING

Somerville $262,670,264 17.74 (46,593,281) 17,547,431 125

Malden $184,203,531 12.35 ( 22,743,061) 11,390,308 100

New Bedford $363,897,499 13.02 (47,399,545) 25,527,814 248 47

Fall River $282,888,285 13.47 (38,113,573) 22,937,404 143

Lawrence $330,569,847 9.11 (30,098,997) 15,410,728 159

32
 Analysis of Somerville
police data and dispatch
processes
SPD houses the City’s Emergency 911 (E- [the] details about what’s going
911) call center, Somerville 911. Calls for on with the individual and will feel
emergency assistance within the a threat is present even if it is a
Somerville community are routed to this behavioral health issue."
call center and received by Somerville - Somerville 911 Staff 48
911 dispatchers. Dispatchers prioritize
obtaining location information from the 911 staff noted that, given the
caller so that emergency services can difficulties that can inhibit
respond even if the call gets dispatchers from identifying the
disconnected. Once a dispatcher has full nature of an emergency
the location of the incident, they situation, all branches of the
attempt to gather more information emergency response system
about the incident occurring. Somerville (police, fire, and emergency
911 staff expressed that this information medical services) are dispatched
can be difficult to obtain for several to respond to almost every call for
reasons: service.
49

“When people are scared [or] stressed This substantiates information we

out it’s hard to get basic information, reviewed from a City Council
even [their] names... [With respect to meeting on August 27th, 2020 in
behavioral health concerns,] if a person which Councilor Clingan stated
is alone, especially if it’s someone on that “96% of 911 calls are routed to
50
the street... those calling will not know the [Somerville] Police.” Because

32
 COHR’s operating hours if a call is clearly related to a
of the number of police
mental health crisis; however, COHR stated during
on patrol in Somerville
our meeting with their team that they are “not an
at any given moment,
911 staff explained that
police are almost always
the first responders to
any incident.

911 staff mentioned that

police officers are
trained in
cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and
Somerville Calls for Service By Type (January 2016 - October 2020)
equipped with Narcan
so that they can respond emergency service.” The figure above displays

to situations requiring the percentage of incident response calls for

resuscitation or opioid service (CFS) by category. Of the categories we

overdose reversal. built, incidents related to behavioral health and

Somerville 911 medical concerns comprised nearly 30% of CFS.

dispatchers and police Calls related to environmental issues and non-

officers themselves can theft property related concerns comprised the

also reach out to the next largest proportion (19.72%), followed by

COHR team for general traffic-related calls (13.94%). Incident

specialized behavioral response CFS we classified as violent comprised

health assistance during 6.65%, while those related to theft comprised

6.23%.

33
As outlined in the literature review on
the social determinants of health and Over of incidents
were
90%
violence, criminal activity is often
related to the inadequate provision of non-violent
protective factors like income,
affordable housing, and accessible Nearly
were health-

30%
51
behavioral healthcare services. related
Research by Neil Metz and Mariya
Burdina indicates that property crime
related to property in the Somerville
rates increase in neighborhoods with
52
community. CFS data also indicates
higher income inequality.
that nearly 30% of incidents are
related to behavioral health and
Our analysis of CFS data indicates that
medical concerns. Given the way in
incidents related to property (theft and
which incidents are classified, we are
non-theft) comprised nearly 15% of
unable to determine what
incident response CFS in Somerville.
percentage of these incidents were
Though we did not conduct a specific
life-threatening and required
analysis of income inequality in
emergency medical care. We
Somerville, both our qualitative data
therefore make the assumption that
from community stakeholders as well
some proportion of these incidents
as The Wellbeing of Somerville Report
were not life-threatening and could
(2017) suggest that income inequality in
have been ameliorated with
53
the City may be on the rise. Mending
facilitated access to primary care and
the social safety net in a way that
behavioral healthcare services. In
decreases income inequality (e.g.
addition, many of the behavioral
decreasing barriers to employment,
health, medical, property, and
facilitating access to benefits) may
environment-related calls could have
decrease the number of incidents

34
been ameliorated with targeted overlap between behavioral health
strategies to serve Somerville’s concerns and homelessness, which is
homeless population. substantiated by national
56
comorbidity data.
The most recent point-in-time
count conducted by the This data also indicates comorbidities
Somerville-Arlington Continuum between homelessness and incidents
of Care (CoC) in January 2018 related to overdoses, discarded
estimated that nearly 270 people hypodermic needles, and other
experienced homelessness on a activities related to public drug use
given night in Somerville, with that necessarily occurs when
nearly 100 people estimated to individuals lack a safe indoor space to
54

become homeless in the next year. use and/or adequate treatment for
57
Additionally, the CoC their use.
acknowledges that “these
numbers underestimate the risk of
homelessness as many people are
doubled up or living paycheck to
paycheck in order to avoid
55
homelessness.” Though the CFS
data we analyzed does not
capture the housing status of
individuals involved in each
incident, qualitative data from
Somerville 911 and our community
stakeholder interviews indicate an

35
 Report
Recommendations

36
 Incident Prevention
The City of Somerville should prevent incidents from occurring by addressing the
social determinants of health and violence through a comprehensive asset map
and robust funding of new and existing preventative programs.

Recommendation 1: The City of inventory to address the social

Somerville should engage in asset determinants of health and violence
mapping in alignment with best has been widely documented. For
practices, and create a uniform, example, Bureau of Justice Assistance
comprehensive, and publicly- (BJA) criteria articulate the necessity of
available asset map for community an asset map with respect to
members. behavioral health, stating: “[F]actors
such as the community’s inpatient and
"There aren’t those immediate crisis
outpatient treatment options, crisis
resources for immediate [behavioral
response services, [and] ancillary
health] needs… Cambridge Hospital
services such as housing and
closed [its] detox facility; [...] there is
substance abuse treatment,
nowhere in Somerville. We would like
population, and geography [must be
to see more community-based
examined]” through an "inventory of
services.” - COHR
existing services," an "assessment of

Asset maps provide community program and service capacity," and a

members, service providers, and first prioritization of "behavioral health

59

responders with an accessible tool to resources and increased funding." Best

identify resources, while also practices across the country establish

empowering government agencies the necessity of asset maps with

with information about opportunities respect to health and violence. Cities

58
for strengthening these resources. The demonstrating asset map leadership
60
importance of creating such an include: Boston, Massachusetts; New

37
 61 62
York City, New York; Chicago, Illinois; platforms to provide community
63
and Denver, Colorado. The City of members with a searchable map of
Boston partnered with MassGIS to government services and civic
70
create a publicly accessible search information. In Duluth, the City
tool for communities with resources partnered with the University of
spanning from senior services to child Minnesota and United Way’s 2-1-1
64
care to immigration assistance. New services to identify community
York City utilized Google Maps to support services, particularly with
pinpoint resources in six primary respect to employment and
categories: economic security, workforce development. 71
housing, health, education, youth, and
65
family and community. The City of In undertaking this effort, BJA criteria
Chicago partnered with asset state: “planners should pay special
66
mapping platform “Purple Binder” to attention to the needs of racial and
equip community members with ethnic minorities and women,” and in
67
health resources, and is in the process utilizing the asset map to bolster
of mapping “resiliency resources” with resources available to communities,
68
respect to violence. In Denver, the should “mak[e] culturally competent
City’s Public Safety Department and gender-sensitive services
partnered with United Way’s 2-1-1 available to the extent possible.”72
database to identify resources Somerville should consider the efforts
including food services, substance use of other municipalities in partnering
73
facilities, libraries, and mental health with services such as Purple Binder or
69 74
treatment. Municipalities of NowPow to house the map, as well
comparable size to Somerville have as in engaging community strengths
also implemented asset maps, such as advocacy organizations,
including Roanoke, Virginia, and service providers, United Way 2-1-1,
Duluth, Minnesota. Roanoke created and local universities to conceptualize
web-based and mobile application
38
and execute the mapping. We First responders should establish
specifically recommend: policies regarding referrals, and
The City of Somerville should make incorporate policies, instructions,
and continuously maintain an and simulations into their
inventory of local community trainings.
resources broadly defined, including The City should ensure this
those not City-operated, and record inventory is available in multiple
certain metrics like type(s) of services, languages, as well as with audio
hours of service, location(s) of service, options for people with vision
capacity of service, cost of service and challenges. The City should ensure
insurance coverage, and eligibility intersectional search criteria are
criteria, including populations served available.
and any exclusionary requirements. The City should engage in public
The City should ensure this inventory education and outreach efforts
is continually updated with accurate regarding community resources.
information. The City should utilize this
The City of Somerville should make inventory to ensure resources are
this inventory available to first distributed and accessible to meet
responders and the public, including community need.
via phone call, internet search, and
mobile device. The City should ensure
there are qualified and trained
professionals who can help assess the
needs of individuals and connect
them with apposite resources from
the inventory.

City of Somerville. (2017). [The Wellbeing of Somerville Report].

https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf

39
Recommendation 2: The City maintain its current police employment

should dedicate sufficient level of 125 officers. As noted in our

resources to entities fostering budget analysis, the City of Somerville

community safety. has been experiencing a decrease in

crime rates in recent years while

Our findings indicate that the City maintaining a relatively constant level of
78

should more heavily invest in police employment. As a result, the City

affordable housing, comprehensive does not have a public safety need to

healthcare services, and expanded increase its police employment and can

language access resources. We use this excess funding for prevention

believe that the funding for these efforts. Other small line item eliminations

investments can come from can include allocations for out of state

multiple areas - including SPD. First, conference and travel funding, given that

the City can eliminate its funding for the City has already indicated that

weapons of mass destruction, which they’ve eliminated such funds for other
79

received $63,500 in funding in FY21.

75
departments. Finally, the City can

According to a recent study, weapons consider creating or expanding regional

of this form - particularly those from or state partnerships to help finance

the US Department of Defense 1033 additional policies and programs. The

program - further militarize the police SomerVision 2040 report highlights that

and can directly lead to an increase in meeting target affordable housing levels
76
civilian casualties. Participants in the and working on zoning requirements are
80

City’s June 24th hearing specified this priorities for the City. Based on our

line item when discussing how to findings above, we believe that achieving
77
defund the police. Second, the City these goals would align with the City’s

can reallocate funding for existing priorities on public safety. The Somerville

vacancies in police positions and Community Corporation found that there

are approximately 35,000 housing

40
 81
units in the city. 3,500 of those units are
dedicated to affordable housing and
1,500 of them are managed by the
82
Somerville Housing Authority. The City
can help facilitate affordable housing
by prioritizing the provision of rental
assistance from the Somerville Housing
Authority to lower income/higher risk
City of Somerville. (2020). [Somervision 2040].
http://www.somervision2040.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/01/SomerVision.pdf
geographic areas, providing tax credit
and other supply-oriented subsidies to As highlighted in the City’s Wellbeing

areas with less affordable housing stock of Somerville Report, the City should

overall, creating affordable rentals and consider ways to support its efforts to

homes through the Somerville promote resident mental health,

Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and prevent substance use disorders, and

preserving existing affordable housing - increase access to health-promoting

86

especially the affordable units that have services. One way to accomplish this
83
deteriorated. Regarding zoning reform, goal, as explained above, is by

we support the city’s inclusionary creating an asset map that lists

housing ordinance that requires most available resources. The City should

new residential units to set aside 20% also reallocate funding from other
84
of its residences for affordable units. public safety departments (e.g., in the

Given that other cities like Cambridge form of defunding vacant salary

have implemented such policies, we provisions) and other revenue sources

encourage the City to collaborate with in the budget to further support the

nearby municipalities in passing Department of HHS. This support

additional zoning and general housing should come in the form of hiring
85
policies. more substance use disorder and

41
mental health providers, particularly residents specifically, we recommend
those who have language capabilities that they also be available for all
and share the racial, gender, sexual residents - especially those most
orientation, and socioeconomic vulnerable. Across all City departments
identities of their clients. The City can and resources, efforts should be made
also invest some funding into existing to ensure that documents are
local clinics like the Cambridge translated into the languages of
Health Alliance’s Central Street Clinic. community residents, including but
Especially as the city continues to not limited to Spanish, Haitian Creole,
grapple with the effects of the Portuguese, Nepali, and Mandarin.
coronavirus pandemic, the City should While SomerViva and other programs
also work to establish and expand are noted as “a good start,” the City
physical or online tools for residents to should focus on demonstrating
access health, self-care, and self- outcomes for communities of color.
87
advocacy resources and training. Organizations mentioned that more
These tools can be promoted via in- leaders for youth programs, behavioral
person or online fairs and should be health workers, and social workers are
provided in multiple languages. needed, although exclusionary
Though the report suggested these qualifications should be carefully
options should be available for senior considered. Implementation of this

City of Somerville. (2017). [The Wellbeing of Somerville Report].

https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf

42
recommendation should also be to the needs of formerly incarcerated
guided and continuously informed by people with SMI improves their
any key gaps highlighted in the quality of life and reduces their
proposed asset map as described in involvement in the criminal justice
Recommendation 1. system.” By implementing a
wraparound case management and
Recommendation 3: The City of counseling program, the City of

Somerville should implement and Somerville can prevent first time

fund programs that offer offenses and confront the cycles of

wraparound supports to high-risk recidivism that plague high risk

populations. communities and those with mental

health needs. Programs like the

Best practices from other cities Peacemaker Fellowship tackle the

include mentorship, outreach, and social determinants of crime.

counseling programs dedicated to Fellowship case managers have the

producing long term transformations ability to connect individuals with

in at risk neighborhoods. These financial, behavioral health, or other

wraparound case management services to address the factors that

services are also effective tools to lead to crime in the first place. In

support individuals with serious Somerville, these practices can be

mental illness (SMI), who are at high implemented to support residents

88

risk for incarceration and recidivism. experiencing poverty, hunger, and

Research has demonstrated that untreated trauma as a proactive

“effective case management tailored measure against violence.

43
Peacemaker Fellowships - Richmond Program Details: Through the

and Sacramento, California Operation Peacemaker Fellowship,

Richmond residents considered most
“Our work at Advance Peace aims to
likely to become a perpetrator or
offer 'real nutrition' to our community,
victim of gun violence (based on the
which is daily doses of love, caring and
guidance of community members
support. We work to boost the immune
and neighborhood leaders) are
systems of those traumatized and at the
offered an 18-month non-mandated
center of gun violence through healthy
counseling and career training
food and housing, but also through
program. This “trauma responsive
stable mentorship.”
approach to interrupting urban gun
- Julius Thibodeaux: Advance Peace
violence...intensively engages those at
Sacramento
the core of firearm conflicts in urban
91

Background: In 2007, the homicide rate neighborhoods.” The ONS Operation

in the city of Richmond, California was Peacemaker fellowship program

eight times higher than the national offers mentorships, 24-hour case
89
average. In response, Richmond management, cognitive behavioral

established the first Office of therapy, internships, social service

Neighborhood Safety (ONS) and began navigation, substance abuse

implementing the Peacemaker treatment, and stipends for the

90
Fellowships. The Peacemaker successful completion of established
92

Fellowships are dedicated to providing goals.

social support for likely victims and

perpetrators of gun violence. Because of Results: Ten years later, the ONS and

the success of the program in Richmond, Operation Peacemaker Fellowship is

Advance Peace now works to implement proven to be highly effective. In 2016,

this model elsewhere, including the ONS completed its fourth

Sacramento, California. Fellowship cohort.

44
 93
All of the fellows are alive and 84% criminal legal system and

have not been injured by a firearm, empowering communities with

which is staggering considering that resources outside of the system.

the fellows represented those most

likely to be victimized by gun Cost/benefit analysis: When this
94
violence. The results extended program expanded to Sacramento,

beyond the most vulnerable. Ten California, Advance Peace was

years after the ONS was established, charged with enrolling up to 50

the homicide rate in Richmond fell by residents identified from a group of

95
80 percent. about 200 individuals suspected of
being involved in gun violence
of fellows
100% are alive
according to local leaders and
97
neighborhood knowledge. During the
eighteen months of the fellowship
Homicides
80%
(July 2018 - December 2019), gun
fell by homicides and assaults declined by
22% in the high crime areas where
98
A study in the American Journal of the fellows resided, and 10% citywide.

Public Health found that the The total cost of the two-year

Peacemaker Fellowship was program was $1,384,836 for a city with

99

associated with a 55% reduction in a population over 500,000. This

firearm-related deaths and hospital includes the salaries for the six

visits and 43% fewer firearm-related neighborhood change agents who

96
crimes. The ONS program is a coordinated the program. The

testimony to the potential of financial benefit was determined to

separating social services from the fall between $25.2 to $58 million,

45
 Pulse, R. (n.d.). [Operation Peacemaker Fellowship]. RCF. https://www.rcfconnects.org/community-initiatives/public-safety/operation-peacemaker-fellowship/

which means the program saved the of focus for a Somerville Advance
City of Sacramento between $18.20 Peace program could be the Mystic
and $41.88 for every dollar spent. River Development. In addition to
serving a low income community, it
Implementation in Somerville: The also offers connections to the Mystic

Peacemaker Fellowship is a model Activity Center, the Welcome Project,

100
that is adaptable and can be used to and the Mystic Learning Center.

serve the communities of Somerville These resources could support the

with the highest rate of victimization efforts of Advance Peace and help

for gun violence. One possible area them reach the communities at
greatest risk of violence in Somerville.

46
Alternative Intervention
The City of Somerville should adopt alternative intervention programs to ensure
the availability of a rapid and appropriate response to behavioral health crises
that promotes the safety of civilians.

Recommendation 4: The City responding agency for medical and

should restructure Somerville 911 behavioral health incidents. Best

and dispatch procedures. practices from the Annals of

The City of Somerville should Emergency Dispatch and Response

restructure its protocol for responding suggest that, "with the exception of

to emergency CFS so that: the relatively few cases of sudden

Somerville 911 is removed from the cardiac (or respiratory) arrest, there

purview of the police department exists very little evidence that

and becomes its own entity or a incrementally shorter EMS

part of a regional E-911 center with response times actually improve

neighboring municipalities.
101
patient outcomes, so there appears

Dispatchers effectively triage 911 to be little reason not to allow

CFS to the appropriate branch of [dispatchers] to complete a

emergency response, including a thorough evaluation of the patient

specialized mental health and emergency situation before

103
emergency response team. 102
The notifying response crews." The

City of Somerville must provide City of Somerville should ensure

dispatcher training so that that each branch of emergency

dispatchers can evaluate CFS and response services is adequately

determine which branch of resourced to respond as promptly

emergency response services as the police department does

should be dispatched. SPD should currently.

revise General Order 123 so that Dispatchers provide callers with the

the police are no longer the lead option to request only one branch

47
 of emergency response service recommend activity-based cost
dependent upon their emergency. analyses to determine the cost of SPD
This would limit and better define response to mental health incidents
the role of the police, as was and by extension the savings
recommended by most of our Somerville could see by investing in
community respondents. BEST. By replacing armed law
Dispatchers may use their training enforcement with trained health
and discretion to send an additional professionals, the City can protect
branch of emergency response as a civilians, save money, and grow as a
secondary responder if the leader in reimagining safety.
dispatcher believes it is necessary;
CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance
however, this action must be taken
Helping Out On The Streets) –
only after the caller is notified.
Eugene, Oregon
Recommendation 5: The City of “I carry my de-escalation training, my
Somerville should adopt alternative crisis training and a knowledge of
intervention programs. our local resources and how to

appropriately apply them. I don’t

Several models, such as CAHOOTS
have any weapons, and I’ve never
(explained below), are leading the way
found that I needed them… I came
in effective and safe emergency
into this work passionate about
response. The City of Somerville should
being part of an alternative to police
adopt alternative intervention programs
response because my father died
that go beyond the expertise and
during a police encounter… [I]n 30
training of current law enforcement.
years, we’ve never had a serious
The CAHOOTS program in Eugene,
injury or a death that our team was
Oregon, is a model for Somerville to
adapt for mental health-related crises responsible for.” - Ebony Morgan,

and non-violent situations. We CAHOOTS Crisis Worker

48
Background: In Eugene, Oregon, the armed. Instead, the teams rely on

Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The trauma-informed de-escalation and

Streets (CAHOOTS) program is serving harm reduction techniques.

as a model for responding to mental

health-related crises. The model is Results: In 2019, out of a total of

proving that unarmed health around 24,000 CAHOOTS calls, police

professionals, when capable of backup was requested only 150 times.

responding quickly, can replace That is less than one percent of all

armed law enforcement in situations calls (.625% of calls). For the more

involving mental health crises or non- than 99% of calls that did not require

violent conflicts. With thirty-one years backup, an armed officer was not

of experience, CAHOOTS is now needed and there was no risk of

offering consulting services to help

CAHOOTS
24,000
other cities adopt or expand
alternative emergency response responded
models. to calls

of which
Program Details: In Eugene, Oregon,

dispatchers are trained to recognize

99% required no
officer backup
non-violent situations by having a
mental health component in their death or serious harm to a civilian in

scripts. They route these calls to the crisis.

CAHOOTS program, where two-

Cost/benefit analysis: The program is
person teams consisting of a medic
also cost effective. In 2019, CAHOOTS
and a crisis worker respond to a wide
104
received $2 million from the City and
range of mental health-related crises.
Lane County while responding to 20%
The medic and crisis worker are not
of calls for police.
law enforcement officers and are not

49
The police department received over By making this investment, Somerville
$60 million. By diverting calls from can protect residents in crisis from the
the police to CAHOOTS (the Eugene threat of an unnecessary armed
Police Department estimates the cost response and better connect them
of each police response at $800), the with the resources they need to
program saves the city of Eugene an prevent future incidents. The City of
estimated $8.5 million annually. Somerville can look to the CAHOOTS
model as an example from which to
Implementation in Somerville: The base the BEST expansion. CAHOOTS

BEST team exists to respond to offers consulting services, ride alongs,

mental health crises. The City of and site visits to help prepare

Somerville should collaborate with emergency responders in other cities.

BEST by providing this program with

funding for a 24/7 mental health
clinician team as well as the
equipment (like sirens, lights, radios,
and bidirectional communication
with Somerville 911) and permission to
respond as an emergency service.

Expanding BEST will allow

appropriate responders to de-escalate
mental health crises rapidly.

50
 Holistic Response
The City of Somerville should implement holistic, healing response models after
an incident occurs, to avoid the risk of unnecessary criminalization,
hospitalization, traumatization, and additional police contact.

Recommendation 6: The City of referral, alternative to arrest, as well

Somerville should work in as pre- and post-adjudication

conjunction with Middlesex County planning for individuals impacted

to expand existing jail diversion by behavioral health.” 105 COHR also

programs by exploring and assists with emergency response

adopting best practices from and provides training classes for

national holistic response models. residents and officers to assist with

addiction and crisis. The expansive

Investing in programming around role of COHR limits their ability to

holistic response allows cities to more focus on their execution of

effectively meet the needs of its diversion programs. The City should

community members, engage in less consider either limiting the scope

harmful means of accountability, and of COHR’s responsibilities or

decrease cyclical involvement in the increasing their funding and

criminal legal system. While the City resources dedicated to diversion.

of Somerville COHR Unit is working to The City of Somerville can

expand jail diversion programs, alternatively look to other

interviews with city leaders and municipalities to partner with and

community members have adopt other diversion program

demonstrated that the current models. One national model, LEAD

holistic response model is not (described below), is already in

adequate. The small COHR team practice in New Bedford,

provides “assistance with assessment, Massachusetts and should be

considered.

51
Law Enforcement Assisted of detention, individuals are placed in

Diversion (LEAD) – New Bedford, “a trauma-informed intensive case-

Massachusetts management program where the

“For police officers - reduced individual receives a wide range of

paperwork allows them more time to support services, often including

be in the community… For the courts transitional and permanent housing

- [it] reduces case management for and/or drug treatment.”

minor offenses, less probationary

cases, less court hearings, [and] more Program Details: A team of two

time to focus on significant matters. recovery coaches and a project

For the individual - [it provides] manager support the LEAD program

immediate access to harm reduction in New Bedford. 107 The team also

supplies, recovery coaches, medically supports outreach efforts in New

assisted treatment, and community Bedford with overdose prevention

and treatment. Recovery coaches
supports.” - Sergeant Samuel Ortega,
connect individuals at risk for
New Bedford Police Department,
overdose with behavioral health
commenting on impact of LEAD
treatment providers or peer recovery
Background: New Bedford, support providers trained in addiction
Massachusetts diverts individuals with support and recovery. Prosecutors and
low-level possession charges to a police officers collaborate with case
community-based, harm-reduction managers to “maximize the
case management program, instead opportunity to achieve behavioral
106
of incarcerating them. The program change.” This is a “less punitive, more
addresses the “unmet behavioral effective, public health-based
health needs” of the community, by approach to public order issues.”
seeking to address the factors that
Results: More than two years after the
lead to crime in the first place. Instead

52
program's launch in New Bedford,

66%
of participants
66% of the people that have entered have not been re-
the program have not been arrested arrested
again or called back to court for any Participants have an
108
reason. Research has shown that for
88%
lower odds of
the LEAD program in general (not just incarceration
in New Bedford), participants have a
60% lower likelihood of arrest at six lower odds of prison incarceration.
109
months than a comparison group. This reduces the county and city costs

After four years, LEAD participants associated with incarceration.

were 58% less likely to be arrested.

The LEAD program is also improving Implementation in Somerville: By

relationships between law adopting a holistic response model

enforcement and the communities such as LEAD, the City of Somerville

they serve. Of participants originally can incorporate best practices to

reporting negative experiences with more effectively protect civilians from

law enforcement, about half said unnecessary detention. In addition, if

these experiences had become more Somerville adopts the LEAD model,

positive after their involvement with they can gain access to the National

the LEAD program. LEAD Bureau's support team and

keep in regular contact through

Cost/benefit analysis: LEAD is monthly calls and offers of support.

associated with significant reductions The group calls are facilitated by the

in criminal legal system utilization retired police chief of Albany, NY,

and associated costs. 110 This is largely a Brendan Cox. For a more localized

result of better participant outcomes. partnership, Sergeant Samuel Ortega

LEAD participants spend 41 fewer helped coordinate the LEAD program

days in jail per year and have 88% in New Bedford and was highly

53
responsive to requests for differ from the punitive approach of
information. When asked if any the criminal legal system, have
challenges have arisen relating to the burgeoned in recent years. We
implementation of the program, recommend the City explore
Sergeant Ortega stated that there opportunities to support this work in
have been very few challenges. It is Somerville. The Alberta Community
important to note that like the Restorative Justice program is one of
current work of COHR, the success of these programs and is supported by
a LEAD implementation would the Government of Canada, which has
require an effective partnership with embraced restorative justice through
the police department and the federal legislation, policy, and
district attorney’s office. We also programs for over forty years. 111 The
recommend establishing clear Alberta program notes the following
metrics and guidelines for the use of benefits of restorative justice:
jail diversion programs to avoid any meaningful resolutions and healing; a
conscious or unintentional bias in its reduced chance of offenders
implementation. committing other crimes; greater
satisfaction with the process among
Recommendation 7: Explore victims and offenders compared to

supporting survivor-centered more formal proceedings; and active

approaches to creating justice and participation by communities in the

112
addressing harm when it occurs. resolution of crimes. Possible city

The City does not currently support partners may include the National

responses to harm that offer survivors Center on Restorative Justice, a

approaches to justice outside the program launched by the US Bureau

criminal legal system. Approaches of Justice Assistance in late 2019, and

such as restorative and transformative the local organization Communities

113,114
justice, which center survivors and for Restorative Justice.

54
 Other Recommendations
Below are the other recommendations we have that are related to community safety
but independent of the focus areas discussed above.

Recommendation 8: The City response and public safety

should improve data transparency
related issues, our team identified
at SPD and across City
departments. this gap based on our own
struggles with accessing
“While police departments must be
sufficient data to inform our
cautious to protect individuals’ right
to privacy, transparent data on analyses. Police data is
police-citizen interaction is a vital
notoriously difficult to access and
tool to assess the efficacy and
fairness of interactions between multiple independent projects
citizens and the police.” have been established to fill this
- Open Government Partnership,
gap. 116,117,118 Therefore, we
2020 115
recommend the City implement
As discussed in our findings above, formal mechanisms to track,
multiple community respondents in analyze, and publish all police
our interviews and the City’s activity data (including all stops,
community listening sessions called arrests, and complaints) with
for greater transparency and demographic and geographic
accountability from the City and breakdowns. Legislation to collect
SPD. The City of Somerville has an data for traffic stops and
opportunity to be a leader in pedestrian stops has already been
pushing for greater transparency in introduced in the Massachusetts
these critical areas. While data State House.
119,120
We suggest that
transparency should not be these policies be formally
considered a solution to shortfalls codified into law and published
and issues surrounding emergency in multiple languages for
accessibility.

55
Relatedly, while the City’s new tip Recommendation 9: The City
line is an improvement in providing should accelerate progress
an anonymous way to report issues towards more diverse
with police, the City should take representation in its
steps to foster further usage of this
departments.
resource by promoting the line as a
On January 9, 1990, members of
resource for civilians, expanding its
the Somerville Women’s
language and submission options,
Commission and the Somerville
and releasing the data from the
Coalition for Racial and Ethnic
complaints on a consistent basis.
Justice met with then-Mayor
The City should also consider
Mike Capuano to advocate for
expanding on its recent progress in
greater minority employment in
providing greater budget 121
City Hall. Despite a Somerville
transparency through the Somerville
Affirmative Action Plan having
OpenGov portal by also collecting
been approved in Somerville as
and reporting information on
early as 1980, the need for more
disbursement breakdowns in
diverse representation in the
government contracts, licenses, and
City at all levels also emerged as
permits by race, gender, age, and
other key demographics.
a key theme from our interviews
with community stakeholders.
As a result, we recommend
accelerating progress towards
this goal, particularly in the
Office of Housing Stability, SPD,
and senior leadership across City

City of Somerville. (2017). [The Wellbeing of Somerville Report].

departments.
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf

56
 speak frankly and fulfill the City's
commitment to genuinely uplift
and support community
engagement through the RSJ
Office and Fund. Given concerns
about the autonomy the future
Director will have to actually
make their mandate a reality and
develop “a foundation for
impacting racial and social

City representation of languages justice city-wide,” the City should

spoken in Somerville, including ensure that the Director is able to

Haitian Creole, Spanish, Portuguese, include the voices of those who

Nepali, and Mandarin, should also be have experienced feeling unsafe

prioritized. in their communities in

conversations surrounding the
Recommendation 10: The City
reimagining of policing. Led by
should clarify the authority of the
the RSJ Director, these processes
new RSJ Director.
should be participatory and

Finally, per the recommendation of designed to account for the fact

community stakeholders, the City that those who are most

should carefully consider and impacted by law enforcement are

document the authority (including also likely the most

responsibilities, powers, and goals) uncomfortable voicing their

of the new RSJ Director from the opinions when SPD is involved

start of their work. These actions due to different levels of power

122
would help ensure the Director can and access.

57
 Conclusion

Though the City of Somerville has drive the city to implement our
laid a foundation for reimagining recommendations in a timely and
policing and community safety, transparent fashion. The tireless
further steps must be taken advocacy put forth by Somerville
toward achieving these goals to residents in concert with crucial City
ensure success. We hope that the leadership vacancies has created a
City will consider the voices of the moment that the City cannot ignore.
diverse government and Therefore, we hope that the City of
community stakeholders we Somerville will institute policy and
outlined in this report who programmatic changes to the areas
identified opportunities for of incident prevention, alternative
improvement towards their shared intervention, holistic response, as
goal of community safety. We also well as in other key areas related to
want our analyses of the utility emergency response and policing to
and cost effectiveness of creating achieve the change its residents
new programs and policies as well need to all be safe and well.
as reforming existing ones to

58
 Acknowledgements

Our team would like to extend our utmost gratitude

to the thirteen community groups in Somerville we

13
spoke with for the perspectives, insights, and time
they shared with us.

This work would also not have been possible without COMMUNITY
our point of contact at the City of Somerville,
GROUPS
Christine Koh. Not only did she provide a weekly
space for us to meet and discuss our progress, but

20
she also connected us to the following individuals at
the City for whose time and perspective we are also
grateful:
CITY
Joseph Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville
REPRESENTATIVES
David Fallon, Somerville Chief of Police
Emily Monea, Mayor's Office
Patty Curtatone, COHR
Jennifer Korn, COHR
Adriana Fernandes, OIA

9
Parashu Phuyal, OIA
Jhenny Saint-Surin, OIA
Kiely Barnard-Webster, Public Information
Sarah Bernt, Public Information
Michael Mastrobuoni, City Budget Manager CITY
Meredith Willis, SPD DEPARTMENTS
Nency Salamoun, Manager of Diversity, Equity,
and Inclusion
Nancy Bacci, HHS
59
 Acknowledgements
continued

Luciana Quintanilha, HHS

13
Sara Skonieczny, HHS
Ashley Speliotis, HHS
Kira Vaughan, HHS
Meredith Gamble, Public Information
John Hickey, Somerville 911
COMMUNITY
GROUPS
Finally, we could not be more grateful for the guidance and support of the MLD 375:
Creating Justice in Real Time teaching team and members of the William Monroe

Trotter Collaborative staff:

Rev. Cornell Brooks

Devon Crawford
Anan Hafez
20
CITY
Kaneesha Johnson
REPRESENTATIVES
Kathleen Schnaidt
Tyra Walker

CITY
9
DEPARTMENTS

60
 Citations

1 Harvard Kennedy School, MLD 375: Creating Justice in Real Time: Vision, Strategies and
Campaigns.
2 City of Somerville, City Council Regular Meeting, (August 27, 2020),
http://somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=3207
3 City of Somerville, Finance Committee Meeting, June 24, 2020,
http://somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=3180
4 City of Somerville, Former Acting Chief of Police Charles Femino to Serve as Acting Chief of
Police effective December 12. (2020, November 23).
5 Ibid
6 City of Somerville, Director of Racial and Social Justice: City of Somerville. (2020, October 14).
7 Ibid
8 Mayor of Somerville vs. Caliguri, 8 Mass. App. Ct. 335. (1979).
9 Harshbarger, S., O’Malley, K., Robbins, T., et al. (2005). “Somerville Police Advisory Group
Report” [Memorandum]. Provided by the City of Somerville.
10 Ibid
11 Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence: A Strategic Vision
for Connecting the Dots.
12 Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the Board of Health, City of Somerville, Massachusetts. (2020,
June 4). Declaration of a Local State of Emergency.
13 Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2020: Social Determinants of
Health. Retrieved December 02, 2020, from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-
objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health
14 City of Somerville and Cambridge Health Alliance. (2017). The Wellbeing of Somerville Report.
15 Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. (2016). Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence: A Strategic Vision
for Connecting the Dots.
16 Ibid
17 Vogler, J. (2017). Access to Health Care and Criminal Behavior: Short-Run Evidence from the
ACA Medicaid Expansions.
18 Bondurant, S. R., Lindo, J. M., & Swensen, I. D. (2018). Substance Abuse Treatment Centers and
Local Crime. Journal of Urban Economics.
19 Lewis, N., Shen, A., & Park, K. (2020, October 27). What Could Have Kept Me Out of Prison.
20 Vitale, A. S., & Uetricht, M. (2020, August 06). Policing Is Fundamentally a Tool of Social
Control to Facilitate Our Exploitation.
21 American Public Health Association. (2018). Addressing Law Enforcement Violence as a
Public Health Issue (Policy Number: 201811). Washington, DC: American Public Health
Association.
22 Ibid
23 Shapiro, David. Asst. City Solicitor, Somerville, MA. (2020, July 7). Subject: Massachusetts
Public Records Law Request: Somerville PD Use of Force Reports.
24 Wuthmann, W. ( 2020, October 9). “Somerville Police Union Head Charged with Pepper
Spraying Handcuffed Man”. WBUR Online.
25 Somerville Police Employees Association. Officers & Staff. Retrieved from
http://www.spdunion.org/index.cfm?zone=/unionactive/officers.cfm
26 Kim, M. E. (2018). From carceral feminism to transformative justice: Women-of-color
feminism and alternatives to incarceration. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work.
27 Purnell, D. (2018, April 06). What Does Police Abolition Mean?
28 #8toAbolition. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.8toabolition.com/
29 An example of such a participatory process is the “Care First, Jails Last” report developed by
the Los Angeles County Alternatives to Incarceration Work Group:
https://lacalternatives.org/reports/
30 Curtatone, J (2020, November 6). Group communication [Zoom interview].
31 Fallon, D. (2020, October 26). Group communication [Zoom interview].
32 September 30, 2020. Group communication [Zoom interview].
33 October 26, 2020. Group communication [Zoom interview].
34 North Suffolk Mental Health Association (NSMHA). “Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST)”
(n.d.).
35 City of Somerville, Director of Racial and Social Justice: City of Somerville. (2020, October 14).
36 Curtatone, Joseph A. (2020, June 19). FY21 Budget Presentation.
37 Neighborhood Scout, Malden, MA Crime Rates. (n.d.).; Data Commons, Malden. (n.d.).
38 Neighborhood Scout, Somerville, MA Crime Rates. (n.d.).; Data Commons, Somerville. (n.d.).
39 Neighborhood Scout, Fall River, MA Crime Rates. (n.d.).; Data Commons, Fall River. (n.d.).
40 Neighborhood Scout, New Bedford, MA Crime Rates. (n.d.).; Data Commons, Fall River. (n.d.).
41 Neighborhood Scout, Lawrence, MA Crime Rates. (n.d.).; Data Commons, Lawrence. (n.d.).
42 Macrotrends, Somerville MA Crime Rate 1999-2018 (n.d.)
43 City of Somerville, FY 2021 Budget Process, Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.somervillema.gov/fy21budget; Mitchell, Jonathan F., City of New Bedford FY2021
Adopted Budget https://s3.amazonaws.com/newbedford-ma/wp-
content/uploads/20201030152341/FY-2021-ADOPTED-BUDGET-DOCUMENT.pdf; Coogan, Paul E.,
City of Fall River, FY21 Municipal Budget, Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.fallriverma.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/FY-21-FINAL-Budget.pdf; City of
Lawrence, Fiscal Year 2021 Mayor’s Recommended Budget, Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
http://cityoflawrence.com/DocumentCenter/View/32236/FY21-Mayors-Recommended-Budget;
City of Malden, Fiscal Year 2021 Adopted Budget, Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.cityofmalden.org/742/Fiscal-Year-2021-Adopted-Budget
44 When evaluating the cities’ spending on public safety, we deferred to their categories which
included Police Department, Fire Department, Health Departments, and Emergency Medical
Services. Fall River also included the Harbormaster.
45 Ibid
46 Ibid; In our analysis, we considered the total number of chiefs, deputy chiefs, sergeants,
lieutenants, and patrol officers
47 Though the City of New Bedford published the amount of people they have employed in
the entire department, they did not have a breakdown of the type of employees that we were
considering so we reached out to them and got this information over the phone.
48 Hickey, J. (2020, November 18). Team communication [Zoom interview].
49 Ibid
50 City Council meeting item 210469 (2020, August 27). Somerville, MA.
51 Lewis, N., Shen, A., and Park, K., (2020). “What Could Have Kept Me Out of Prison”. The Marshall
Project.
52 Metz, N. and Burdina, M. (2018). Neighbourhood income inequality and property crime.
Urban Studies, 55(1): 133-150.
53 Cambridge Health Alliance. (2017). “The Wellbeing of Somerville Report.”
54 Curtatone, J., and Glavin, M., (2018). “Consolidated Plan FY2018-FY2022, City of Somerville”
[Strategic Plan Report].
55 Ibid
56 Tucker, J., and Klein, D. (2020). Behavioral health and service usage during the COVID-19
pandemic among emerging adults currently or recently experiencing homelessness. Journal of
Adolescent Health, 67(4): 603-605.
57 Ibid
58 Bureau of Justice Assistance, (2019, April). Police-Mental Health Collaborations: A Framework
for Implementing Effective Law Enforcement Responses for People Who Have Mental Health
Needs. See also SPLC. (2012, November 27). Unlocking Your Community's Hidden Strengths: A
Guidebook to Community Asset-Mapping. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.splcenter.org/20121126/unlocking-your-community%E2%80%99s-hidden-
strengths-guidebook-community-asset-mapping; Advancement Project. (2012). Participatory
Asset Mapping. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.communityscience.com/knowledge4equity/AssetMappingToolkit.pdf; National
Congress of American Indians. (2018). Tribal Toolkit: Asset Mapping for Tribal Nations. Retrieved
December 03, 2020, from https://www.ncai.org/policy-research-
center/initiatives/NCAI_CAM_presentation_2019_Mid-Year_Conference.pdf
59 Ibid. BJA (2019).; Bureau of Justice Assistance. (2007). Improving Responses to People with
Mental Illnesses.
60 City of Boston Community Asset Map. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
http://app01.cityofboston.gov/CommunityAssetMap/
61 Citizens' Committee for Children of New York Asset Mapping. Retrieved December 03, 2020,
from https://data.cccnewyork.org/assetmapping#?
domain=1245&assets=Bank&communities=4%7C16
62 Chicago Department of Public Health. Healthy Chicago. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
http://cdph.purplebinder.com/
63 Denver Community Asset & Resource Mapping Application. Retrieved December 03, 2020,
from https://geospatialdenver.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?
id=f99c1f76b523442ab5c7bddcaf36a7d3
64 City of Boston Community Asset Map. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
http://app01.cityofboston.gov/CommunityAssetMap/
65 Citizens' Committee for Children of New York Asset Mapping. Retrieved December 03, 2020,
from https://data.cccnewyork.org/assetmapping#?
domain=1245&assets=Bank&communities=4%7C16
66 Purple Binder. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.purplebinder.com/
67 Chicago Department of Public Health. Healthy Chicago. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
http://cdph.purplebinder.com/
68 City of Chicago. (2020). Our City, Our Safety: A Comprehensive Plan to Reduce Violence in
Chicago.
69 Denver Community Asset & Resource Mapping Application. Retrieved December 03, 2020,
from https://www.denvergov.org/content/denvergov/en/department-of-
safety/about/community-resource-map.html
70 Roanoke County GIS Services. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.roanokecountyva.gov/76/GIS-Maps-Apps
71 Bureau of Business and Economic Research, Geospatial Analysis Center. (2017, October 26).
Community Asset Mapping and Environmental Scan of Workforce Services.
72 Council of State Governments Justice Center. (2007). Improving Responses to People with
Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court.
73 Purple Binder. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.purplebinder.com/
74 NowPow. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from https://www.nowpow.com/
75 City of Somerville, FY21 Budget Tables
76 Delehanty, C., Mewhirter, J., Welch, R., & Wilks, J. (2017). Militarization and police violence: The
case of the 1033 program. Research & Politics, 4(2), 205316801771288.
doi:10.1177/2053168017712885
77 City of Somerville, Finance Committee Meeting, June 24, 2020, Retrieved from
http://somervillecityma.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=3180
78 Macrotrends, Somerville MA Crime Rate 1999-2018 (n.d.); Governing, Police Officers,
Employment Totals for City Departments
79 City of Somerville, Police: City of Somerville FY21 Budget
80 Curtatone, Joseph. A., SomerVision 2040: Comprehensive Plan Update.
http://www.somervision2040.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/01/SomerVision.pdf
81 Somerville Community Corporation, Creating Affordable Housing Options: In a Hot Real
Estate Market. http://somervillecdc.org/creating-affordable-housing-options-hot-real-estate-
market
82 Ibid
83 Chiumenti, Nicholas, (2019) The Growing Shortage of Affordable Housing for the Extremely
Low Income in Massachusetts; City of Somerville, Inclusionary Housing Program.
https://www.bostonfed.org/publications/new-england-public-policy-center-policy-
report/2019/growing-shortage-affordable-housing-extremely-low-income-massachusetts.aspx
84 Curtatone, Joseph. A., SomerVision 4040: Comprehensive Plan Update.
http://www.somervision2040.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2020/01/SomerVision.pdf
85 City of Cambridge, Inclusionary Housing.
https://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/housing/inclusionaryhousing
86 Cambridge Health Alliance (2017), The Wellbeing of Somerville Report 2017.
https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/wellbeing-of-somerville-report-2017.pdf
87 Ibid
88 Leutwyler, H., Hubbard, E., & Zahnd, E. (2017). Case management helps prevent criminal
justice recidivism for people with serious mental illness. International journal of prisoner health,
13(3-4), 168–172. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28914124/
89 FBI, Crime in the U.S. 2007. (2010, October 08). https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-
u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/tables/10tbl01.xls
90 Office of Neighborhood Safety: Richmond, CA - Official Website. (n.d.).
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/271/Office-of-Neighborhood-Safety
91 Office of Neighborhood Safety - 2016 Highlights. (n.d).
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/41749/2016-FINAL-DRAFT-ANNUAL-
SUMMARY?bidId=
92 Wolf AM, Lipman ADP, Boggan D, Glesmann C, Castro E. Saving lives: alternative approaches
to reducing gun violence.IntSciIndex.2015;9(6). https://publications.waset.org/10002661/saving-
lives-alternative-approaches-to-reducing-gun-violence
93 Office of Neighborhood Safety - 2016 Highlights. (n.d).
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/41749/2016-FINAL-DRAFT-ANNUAL-
SUMMARY?bidId=
94 Ibid
95 FBI, 2017 Crime in the United States. (2017). https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2017/crime-in-
the-u.s.-2017
96 Ellicott C. Matthay, Kriszta Farkas, Kara E. Rudolph, Scott Zimmerman, Melissa Barragan,
Dana E. Goin, and Jennifer Ahern, 2019: Firearm and Nonfirearm Violence After Operation
Peacemaker Fellowship in Richmond, California, 1996–2016 American Journal of Public Health
109, 1605_1611. https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305288
97 Coburn, J., & Prof. Jason Corburn & Amanda Fukutome-Lopez, A. (2020, March). Outcome
Evaluation of Advance Peace Sacramento, 2018-19. https://www.advancepeace.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/04/Corburn-and-F-Lopez-Advance-Peace-Sacramento-2-Year-
Evaluation-03-2020.pdf
98 Ibid
99 Ibid
100 The Somerville Housing Authority. (2014).
101 City of Somerville Massachusetts: Agenda Item 210469. (2020, October 28).
102 MULTNOMAH COUNTY SERVICES CONTRACT AGREEMENT FOR EXCLUSIVE AMBULANCE
SERVICE Contract Number: 5600002522 [PDF]. (2018). MULTNOMAH COUNTY.
103 Scott, G., Olola, C., Toxopeus, C., Clawson, J., Johnson, A., Schultz, B., . . . Patterson, B. (2016,
March 07). Characterization of Call Prioritization Time in a Medical Priority Dispatch System.
104 Andrew, S., & Tlaib, R. (2020, November 16). CAHOOTS.
105 City of Somerville Police Department. (2020, February 11). COHR/CIT.
106 LEAD programs: LEAD National Support Bureau: United States.
107 Silvia, M. (2020, August 25). New Bedford Police Department LEAD team expands to meet
overdose concerns.
108 Rock, M. (2020, August 21). New Bedford Police Department's Gentler Approach to Addicts.
109 Collins, S., Lonczak, H., & Clifasefi, S. (2017, May 10). Seattle's Law Enforcement Assisted
Diversion (LEAD): Program effects on recidivism outcomes.
110 Collins, S. E., Lonczak, H. S., & Clifasefi, S. L. (2019, March 19). Seattle’s law enforcement
assisted diversion (LEAD): Program effects on criminal justice and legal system utilization and
costs [PDF]. Journal of Experimental Criminology.
111 Government of Canada, D. (2018, September 06). Restorative Justice. Retrieved December 03,
2020, from https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/rj-jr/index.html
112 Government of Alberta. Restorative Justice. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.alberta.ca/restorative-justice.aspx
113 National Center on Restorative Justice: Overview.
114 Communities for Restorative Justice. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://www.c4rj.org/
115 Open Government Partnership (2020, July 27). Transparency and Accountability at the
Frontlines of Justice: Police Data Transparency.
116 Mapping Police Violence. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/
117 Citizens Police Data Project. Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://invisible.institute/police-data
118 Washington Post. Fatal Force: Police Shootings Database. Retrieved December 03, 2020,
from https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/
119 Bill H.1575 189th (2015 - 2016). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/House/H1575
120 Bill S.1263 189th (2015 - 2016). Retrieved December 03, 2020, from
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/189/Senate/S1263
121 Nicholson, L., Van Nieuwenhuizen, A., Escobar, S., & Flores, E. (2004). A History of Human and
Civil Rights in the Somerville Latino Community.
https://dca.lib.tufts.edu/features/urban/MS083.004.003.00001.archival.pdf
122 An example of such a participatory process is the “Care First, Jails Last” report developed by
the Los Angeles County Alternatives to Incarceration Work Group:
https://lacalternatives.org/reports/
Appendices Theft-related Incidents:
Attempted larceny (motor
vehicle, with breaking and
Appendix A: Sub-categories entering, any), breaking and
entering (all kinds, from motor
of Incident Classification vehicle), bad checks issued,
counterfeit money, fare evasion,
flim flam, fraud, fraudulent
Behavioral Health/Medical Incidents: credit cards, identity theft,
Check condition (welfare larceny (motor vehicle, bicycle,
checks/medical concerns), death, scooter, package, vehicle plates,
drunk, drugs, attempted suicide,
general), shoplifting
suicide, disorderly conduct, confused,
overdose, motor vehicle accident Non-violent Person-related
(person injured), sick person, injured Incidents: Dispute, groups
person, psychiatric transport, causing disturbance, interpreter
psychiatric emergency, mental health required, missing person report,
home visit, medical alert (known
found missing person,
medical condition)
obscene/threatening phone
Violent Incidents: Assault and battery calls, suspicious person,
(general, related to domestic violence, trespassing, unwanted guest
and with a dangerous weapon),
assault (all kinds), bomb scare, Environmental/Non-theft
domestic violence (well being check, Property Incidents: Abandoned
interview, meeting, follow-up), motor vehicle, alarm (bank, fire,
emergency restraining order issuance, motor vehicle, general), animals,
family disturbance/violence, fight (all arson, fire, found hypodermic
kinds), harassment, hate incidents, hit needle, found property, graffiti,
and run accident, homicide, indecent hazardous condition, hazardous
exposure, kidnapping, attempted waste, injured animal, hazardous
kidnapping, restraining order served, leak, lockout, lost property,
road rage, robbery, sex offender, shots motor vehicle vandalism, noise,
fired or heard, shotspotter alert,
open doors, recovered property
restraining order violation, weapons
(bike, motor vehicle, etc.), street
(use, possession, etc.)
flooding, suspicious package,
suspicious vehicle, trash,
General arrest/citation: Arrest,
citation vandalism

Other traffic incident response: Motor Investigation: All units be on

vehicle accidents (non-injury or hit lookout, attempted warrant
and run), bicycle stops, disabled served, city code violation, crime
motor vehicle, parking violations, scene investigation, cyber crime
traffic light violations, traffic investigation, general followup,
complaint, general investigation,
notification of person, receiving
Assistance (to civilians or other
passed information, restraining
agencies): Assist, assist other agencies
Unable to Determine: Silent 911 call, order, sex offender audit, search
unknown call type, Other warrant, summons served,
warrant served
 Appendix B: Recent State and Nearby
City Legislative Reform Efforts

STATE HOUSE REFORMS

Both the House and Senate have introduced two versions of police
reform bills. The most relevant policies in these bills are listed below:

(1) Creating a Police Officer Standards and Accreditation Committee,

01
which would monitor and investigate police conduct, license law
enforcement, and revoke licenses for violent or racist behavior and other
misdeeds. These revocations could result in the stripping of qualified
immunity
(2) Commissioning of a study on qualified immunity more generally
(3) Banning certain police tactics, including chokeholds, and setting new
limits on the use of tear gas and rubber bullets
(4) Requiring police departments to seek “civilian authorization” before
buying military equipment for use on citizens
(5) Banning schools from feeding information about students’
immigration status or suspected gang affiliation to police

CITY OF BOSTON REFORMS

Mayor Martin Walsh endorsed recommendations proposed by a task
force on reform in the City of Boston on October 13, 2020. These
recommendations, to be accomplished in 180 days, include:

(1) Creating an independent Office of Police Accountability and

Transparency (“OPAT”) with full investigatory and subpoena power
(2) Formalizing and expanding the BPD’s commitment to diversity and
inclusion through the creation of a Diversity & Inclusion unit
02
(3) Expanding the BPD’s adoption of the body-worn camera program and
continuing to ban the use of biometrics and facial recognition software.
(4) Enhancing the BPD’s Use of Force policies (Rule 303, Rule 303A, Rule
303B, Rule 304) and holding the BPD publicly accountable for the violation
of these policies
(5) Adopting practices that maximize accountability, transparency, and
public access to the BPD

CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS

Various cities and towns in Massachusetts have considered the role
that leaving the Civil Service can play in providing them with more
flexibility on how they hire and promote their police officers.

03 The civil service system was enacted in 1884 to help the government
recruit and hire the most talented personnel as well as eliminate
patronage and political interference. All police officers must take the civil
service exam to be hired or promoted. Grafton, Marlboro, Uxbridge, and
Athol are among more than two dozen Massachusetts communities that
have already left Civil Service completely. They argue that leaving the civil
service gives them more flexibility to have different requirements for their
officers, including on issues of diversity, residency, language proficiency,
and more.
We agree to have all and/or specific portions of
this report shared by the Harvard Kennedy
School Teaching team and City of Somerville.

Courtney Brunson, JD '22

Mari Jones, BA '21

Juliana DePietro, MPH '21

Armin Salek, M.Ed '21

Morgan Benson, MPP '22

Molly Crane, JD/MPP '23