By Jeanette Callahan, MD IN JULY, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed their version of a police reform bill that has languished in a conference committee ever since, reportedly because of a deadlock over the issue of qualified immunity. Qualified immunity is a legal doctrine that shields police officers from civil liability even when they violate someone’s constitutional rights—unless the violation was already “clearly established.” In other words, unless another officer has already been held liable for a nearly identical violation in the past, a victim of police misconduct who sues will likely have their case thrown out in civil...