Wayland police chief shares traffic-stop demographic data with rights committee
WAYLAND — August 20, 2024 — Wayland police chief reports no disparity pattern in newly expanded traffic-stop data. Chief Edward Burman told the Human Rights, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee on Aug. 20 that officers logged 169 motor-vehicle stops in July 2024 versus 114 in July 2023, with 91 ending in verbal warnings — a category the department did not previously record. "To date I have not identified a problem," Burman said, crediting a new records-management system. He also detailed a free week-long youth academy serving 27 middle-schoolers including eight METCO students, a pending social-worker/clinician hire housed at the department, and a $5,000 Sudbury Foundation grant application for Communities for Restorative Justice officer training. The committee, led by Vice Chair Heather Pino, unanimously approved a final $2,329.16 multicultural festival invoice and voted to continue hybrid meetings.
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WAYLAND — Police Chief Edward Burman walked the Human Rights, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee through a year-over-year comparison of motor-vehicle stop data Tuesday evening, telling members the department now tracks the race, age and sex of every driver stopped — including those let go with a verbal warning — and finds no pattern of disparity.
Burman said Wayland officers conducted 169 motor-vehicle stops in July 2024, up from 114 in July 2023. Of this July's stops, 91 ended in verbal warnings, a category the department did not track a year ago.
"I put out a direct order to my department that I wanted to start tracking those verbal motor-vehicle stops," Burman said, adding that he now reviews the breakdown monthly. "It'll actually help me identify if there's a problem, and to date I have not identified a problem."
Vice Chair Heather Pino, who ran the meeting in place of Chair Karen Blumenfeld, who joined remotely, said the data presentation was useful context for the committee's broader equity work. One member, Yao, observed that the share of Asian drivers stopped roughly mirrored the town's Asian population.
Burman also reported that the department is hosting a free, week-long public-safety youth academy for 27 middle-school students, including eight METCO students for whom he arranged daily transportation from Boston. He said five officers volunteered to run the program, which has covered radar and LIDAR enforcement on Route 20, drone demonstrations from Mansfield police, a tour of MedFlight at Hanscom Air Force Base and CPR training.
The chief said the town is close to posting a new social-worker/clinician position that will be housed at the police department and report to him. Funding is expected to come from opioid settlement money, a recently submitted grant application and other sources. At Blumenfeld's request, the job description includes responding to incidents of hate or discrimination.
Burman said the department has also joined Communities for Restorative Justice, known as C4RJ, and applied for a $5,000 Sudbury Foundation grant to train Wayland and surrounding officers on diverting minor youth offenses from court. He estimated that "probably 70 percent" of his officers were unaware they could divert such cases. A new partnership with MetroWest Mediation Services, through executive director Eric Green, will offer mediation in disputes that fall short of criminal conduct.
Earlier in the meeting, the committee unanimously approved a $2,329.16 payment to the town's school business office, covering custodial and technology staff costs from the multicultural festival — the festival's final outstanding invoice. Members also voted to delegate completion of the committee's annual town report to the chair and vice chair, pending a September discussion of next year's goals.
Member Mei Ling told the committee that state legislation she has advocated for, expanding the definition of domestic abuse under Chapter 209A to include coercive control, was signed in June and takes effect Sept. 18. Massachusetts becomes the seventh state to adopt such language, she said.
New member Asma Siddiqui proposed that the committee mark the United Nations International Day of Peace on Sept. 21 with a brief community gathering, possibly a moment of silence. Because the committee's next regular meeting is Sept. 17, members agreed Siddiqui and Blumenfeld would explore co-sponsoring an event with the Wayland Community Action Network, which could move more quickly than the committee's posted-meeting requirements allow.
The committee voted to continue hybrid meetings through the fall and adjourned shortly after 8 p.m. Its next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 17.