Police Update Arrest Rules

The Center for Criminal Justice at the Law School completed revision this week of a manual on arrest procedures to be used by the Cambridge Police Department. The manual was a cooperative venture between the Center and members of the Department.

A federal grant of $22,000 funded the revision. D. Lloyd Macdonald '66, assistant director of the Center, said yesterday. James F. Reagan, chief of Cambridge police, suggested the joint project last winter, citing the "immediately available wealth of expertise" at the Center.

"I think it's one of the first times a law school has cooperated with the police to write a (procedures) manual." Macdonald said.

The handbook is divided into sections on rules and procedures which discuss guidelines for handling "difficult" cases such as stop-and-frisk, juvenile arrests, and "service" calls. Reagan said.

The new manual contains several suggestions from Cambridge community groups which were approached by a special police committee Reagan established last year. The handbook has not been revised since 1961.

Recent judicial decisions expanding the rights of criminal suspects suggested the basic guidelines of the new manual. Macdonald said.