City Council Approves Committee To Hear Charges Against Police

The Cambridge City Council, in its regular Monday session, passed an order introduced by Councilor Thomas Coates establishing a five-member advisory committee to hear future charges of police brutality from Cambridge citizens.

The committee is the result of three weeks of negotiations between spokesmen for the black community, City Solicitor Philip M. Cronin, and City Manager John Corcoran. The negotiations are in response to demands from the black community that Police Chief James Reagan and five other officers be fired for their parts in three beatings in November.

Anna Jones, the elected spokesman for the Concerned Citizens of Cambridge, said at the meeting, "The motions are in no way an answer to our demands. We will cooperate with the full knowledge that this committee is powerless."

Jones also announced that the black community had met Sunday and nominated two men, Rev. John Bryant and Roosevelt R. Weaver, to represent it on the committee. Corcoran has not yet named anyone from the city to serve on the board.

The Council also passed by a 5-4 vote Councilor Barbara Ackerman's motion instructing the Chief of Police to relieve within 12 hours and suspend without pay "any officer who there is reason to believe has been engaged in police brutality."

Ackerman said in introducing the motion, "The police of this city cannot operate successfully under the burden of suspicion of brutality."

Ackerman's motion will not affect the five officers accused of beating Melvin and Edward Walton in one of the November incidents. A special investigative board appointed by Corcoran has been hearing evidence in the Wallton case for the past two weeks and is expected to report its findings to the Manager by the end of this week.