Make IA records public. Establish CCRBs. Ban qualified immunity. Restore trust.
There was a time when a New Jersey cop could pile up misconduct reports without any public notice, get sacked, and then just head down the Turnpike to another town and another blue uniform.
The licensure law, which passed nearly unanimously, is significant just for the scope of collaboration that it generated: After putting his signature on, the governor handed out signing pens not only to the folks who spent decades pushing for these reforms – such as the executive director of the ACLU -- but also to three police union leaders who acknowledged the need to regain public confidence.
The legislation gives the Police Training Commission the authority to pull the licenses of any law enforcement officer who acts “outside the bounds of professional standards” or engages in illegal or improper conduct. And without a license, he could not find another job in New Jersey, or in most other states.
But when it comes to real police reform, we are just getting started. As police transparency experts often remind us, licensing alone cannot be effective without public access to internal affairs files – as they have in New York and a dozen other states – because there is no oversight for departments that conduct investigations and apply punishments.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New Police Accountability Laws Up Demands On State AgenciesNew state laws on police accountability are testing the limits of several agencies, including the Department of Justice, which say they need more resources for these new duties.
Read more »
Cincinnati police officer used ‘n-word’ during incident outside CPS school, report findsThe officer allegedly admitted to using the slur in an interview with investigators.
Read more »