The Speaker

Superintendent Nora Baston is a 27-year veteran of the Boston Police Department who has served as a member of the command staff for 16 years and holds the civil service rank of lieutenant detective. In 2007, Baston was appointed by then Commissioner Ed Davis to the rank of deputy superintendent of the Safe Street Teams Initiative and in 2018 she was appointed to the rank of superintendent where she served as chief of the inaugural Bureau of Community Engagement. Since joining the command staff she has also served as the department's homeless liaison, commander of the Community Support Division and zone commander for the Bureau of Field Services. Among her many accomplishments, she is most proud of having been the commander of the Safe Street Teams Initiative, where under her leadership they were recognized by the IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) in 2011 with the Community Policing Award and the Excellence in Law Enforcement Research Award. Superintendent Nora Baston has advanced through the ranks and is currently the Chief of the Bureau of Professional Development; as well as the fourth female appointed to the rank of superintendent in the department’s history.

The Workshop

Reimagining The Academy and Beyond : Thursday, October 05, 2023 10:30A

Questions about the training of U.S. police officers are not new. During the 20th century, for example, at least three major commissions were created to reform the police and included a focus on police training. The most recent example of such a commission was the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing convened by the Obama administration and which focused a great deal of attention to perceived deficits in both basic law enforcement training (BLET) for new hires as well as in-service training for officers on the job.

21st century policing has highlighted the need to reimagine and reform police training is of utmost priority. As policing has evolved over time, the training methods and training curriculum have not kept in pace with the changes in the profession.

This workshop dissects policies and practices related to police training and offers best practices to address the biggest gaps in training.