Congressional Democrats unveiled a sweeping police reform bill Monday that would ban the use of chokeholds and make it easier to hold officers accountable, a bill that one Arizona police group blasted as “one-sided” and “disappointing.”
At least three Arizona lawmakers are among more than 200 co-sponsors of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which comes after a week of nationwide protests sparked by the May 25 killing of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Phoenix, said the bill is needed to transform the relationship between law enforcement and the public. He was joined on the bill Monday by fellow Democratic Reps. Raúl Grijalva of Tucson and Greg Stanton of Phoenix.
“The Justice in Policing Act makes long-overdue changes to our criminal justice system by mandating the use of proven de-escalation techniques, increasing transparency, and transforming the culture and mindset of policing in America,” Gallego said in a statement.
But Joe Clure, executive director of the Arizona Police Association, said the “very one-sided piece of legislation” was drafted without any input from law enforcement officials.
“I think it’s disappointing that you have people who are putting together ideas and work plans for law enforcement and absolutely no law enforcement was consulted,” Clure said. “It is unfortunate it didn’t have a little bit more discussion so that there might have been an opportunity to find common ground.”
The 134-page bill said it aims “to hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct in court, improve transparency through data collection, and reform police training and policies.”
The bill would ban the use of chokeholds by federal officers and encourage local police departments to prohibit them as well, do away with no-knock warrants in drug cases and limit the transfer of military-grade weapons to in state and local police. It calls for increased funding to train officers to reduce racial profiling.
The bill would also create a national police misconduct registry aimed at keeping officers with abuse convictions from moving from one jurisdiction to another, and make it easier to sue officers for misconduct weakening the qualified immunity protection they currently enjoy for their actions.
It follows more than a week of protests across the U.S. demanding reform after the death of Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who died after a white Minneapolis police officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes, 46 seconds, despite Floyd’s clear pleas that he couldn’t breathe.
Also that day, Dion Johnson, a black motorist, was killed by an Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper during a traffic stop in Phoenix.
Among the demands of protesters in Arizona and across the U.S. were calls to defund police departments, but President Donald Trump said Monday that that’s not going to happen.
“There won’t be defunding. There’s not going to be any disbanding of our police,” Trump said during a roundtable with administration and law enforcement officials.
“Our police have been letting us live in peace and we want to make sure we don’t have any bad actors in there and sometimes we’ll see some horrible things like we witnessed recently,” he said. “But I say 99.9 – let’s go with 99% of them – great, great people and they’ve done jobs that are record-setting.”
But Grijalva said something needs to be done and that the bill “is a step forward toward real reform that removes the shield of immunity long faced by many police officers.”
“In the wake of violent police killings of people of color, Congress is taking the first step to bring reform, accountability, and transparency to police departments across the country,” he said in a prepared statement.
Clure said that some aspects of the bill are workable, but others are not.
“There are a few things in there that are certainly within the realm of possibilities, and then there are some things that are going to make it near impossible for individuals to police or engage in the profession of law enforcement,” he said.
He was particularly concerned about the proposal to weaken qualified immunity, saying it could put officers at financial risk.
At the news conference to unveil the bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Monday that the House is ready to act on the measure, and called on Senate Republican leaders to allow debate and a vote in the coming weeks.
Even then, Stanton said, the bill is just one of the first steps Congress needs to take to reform the system.
“We have a long way to go to fix long-standing, institutional biases and systemic racism. Every American has a responsibility to meet this historic challenge,” Stanton said in a statement. “And Congress must take this important step – the first of many – to ensure that no American faces greater danger simply because of the color of their skin.”
This article appears in Jun 4-10, 2020.
Maybe they can add acts of police vandalism such as law enforcement officers in minnesota slashing tires of parked cars who they thought were protestors. It now comes out they were ordered to slash tires by their leaders making it a terrorist conspiracy and the police organizations terrorist organizations. Disban terrorist police organization before they commit more terrorist acts!
The authorities explanation of the actions makes sense to many.
“State Patrol troopers strategically deflated tires … in order to stop behaviors such as vehicles driving dangerously and at high speeds in and around protesters and law enforcement,” Gordon said.
Gordon said the patrol also targeted vehicles “that contained items used to cause harm during violent protests” such as rocks, concrete and sticks.
“While not a typical tactic, vehicles were being used as dangerous weapons and inhibited our ability to clear areas and keep areas safe where violent protests were occurring,” he said. … Deputies from Anoka County followed state orders and joined the patrol and also cut the tires on vehicles on Washington Avenue, said Anoka County Sheriff’s Lt. Andy Knotz.
With all those white terror groups I saw reported they might have just saved more lives.
Okay, who let B Miller into the cooking sherry?
Two sides to every story peabo, until Trump beat Clinton. Now it appears there are seven sides to each story. And I don’t drink so you can stop making up more stories.
In that case, you’re just stupid. At least as stupid as the excuses the State Troopers made up.
Those cops committed wanton destruction of private property. If strategic deflation was the goal they could have just loosened the tire stem valves which would have accomplished the same thing. Instead they ruined all the tires they stabbed. And tires are not inexpensive!
I hope the affected car owners take the agencies that own those miscreant cops to court and seek full damages for their misconduct.
Why don’t you try following the guidelines peabo? Do others comments scare you? Is that why you call names and bully others?
Why don’t you stop justifying criminal conduct by the police?
That’s just it I never justified their actions. I said it made sense to many. CNN reported that the violence was done by white supremists that came from out of town. I would have preferred they caught and removed them. So you were glad they were there?
Your argument would be on firmer ground if law enforcement had acted honestly and in good faith at any time during these recent events. But they didnt. And Im interested, who are these white supremacists you repeatedly mention? Do you mean genuine threats like the boogaloo movement, or are you going to wring your hands with faux Antifa fear mongering? Show your colors.