New Funding Approved For Mass. Police Training

BOSTON (CBS) - After years of talking to lawmakers who seemingly were not listening, Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson finally prevailed, as Governor Charlie Baker signed a law into effect that will provide more funding for police training.

"You can only try and look forward and hope that this piece will make officers safer and better ready for tough situations," Chief Frederickson said.

The governor on Wednesday signed a measure that would impose a $2 fee on all car rentals in Massachusetts, raising $10 million that would go toward municipal police training programs.

Baker said the new law "represents an important opportunity to improve police training and recruitment at the local level."

With the tragic deaths of two police officers in three months, Sgt. Sean Gannon in Yarmouth, and Sgt. Michael Chesna in Weymouth, many people started focusing on police safety and training. Until Wednesday, Massachusetts was nearly last in the nation for spending on police training.

"It will cover the specialized training that we need, and I believe that the specialized training will go a long way," Marshfield Police Chief Phil Tavares said. "It will cover everything from sexual assaults, field training programs.

(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)