Police Reform Legislation

Post date: Nov 06, 2020 5:53:3 PM

Police reform legislation has stalled in the legislature. Originally, the goal was to have something completed by the end of the session at the end of June. It's now November. There are parts of our work that have been stalled waiting for the direction. For instance, we have had a draft use of force policy revision on hold since June, wanting to ensure that our update was consistent with new laws. We've subsequently found that this same hold has been placed on the policy recommendations in the certification program. As we try to focus on revisiting operations, expectations and goals for policing, getting clarity on the state's expectations is necessary. I'm encouraging the Board to consider sending a letter to Senate President and Speaker of the House urging action on some form of police reform. Of the many items that have been discussed, there are any number of viewpoints about specifics. However, at this point, it's critical to have something emerge from this process to remove uncertainty.

Some background on the discussions - https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/in-police-licensing-the-details-matter/ and https://commonwealthmagazine.org/criminal-justice/heres-the-police-reform-bill-the-aclu-wants/