The top federal prosecutor for Massachusetts announced the launch of a new task force designed to help state and local law enforcement officials investigate and prosecute civil rights violations.
The Civil Rights Task Force will bring law enforcement from different agencies together to better identify and deter threats, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said. The task force will also provide local police departments with training and support on civil rights issues, he said.
“The current intensity of public concern with issues of racial equity, persecution of minorities, and relations between minority communities and law enforcement, demands a coordinated law enforcement response,” Lelling said in an emailed statement.
“In short, we need to do something and, in the interest of bolstering the public’s trust, the public needs to see that we take these issues seriously and will be accountable for our success or failure," he said.
The leadership team, which will choose people for the task force's primary working group, includes Boston Police Commissioner William Gross and Gina Kwon, chief of the Criminal Bureau for the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
Photo: Andrew E. Lelling was sworn in as U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts on Dec. 21, 2017.