Proposed Legislation Seeks to Reform Criminal Justice System
By Jason Sibert
The new cycle has been dominated by the fallout from the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minn. for the last several days.
As soon as the story broke, demonstrators poured in the streets to show their opposition to the killing, sometimes police officers joined in the demonstrations, and police chiefs across the country condemned the killing. Reporters were arrested trying to simply report the news and media voices filled the need for criminal justice and policing reform.
Our country has been dividing in so many ways over the past several years and some say our republic has reached a breaking point. However, there is important legislation being discussed that will help us create a system of public safety that is not militarized and accountable to the taxpayers that fund it. Right now, it looks as if our leaders really are accountable to the people who elect them. It is important that all those interested in a more community-oriented from of public safety contact legislators and express support for it.
Under a program that started in the 1990’s, local police departments were able to purchase military gear from the Pentagon. The program was ramped up after the terrorist attacks on New York City in 2001. It was curtailed somewhat in the administration of Barack Obama and ramped up in the administration of Donald Trump.
Senator Brian Schatz (D – HI) has introduced legislation to shut down the transfer of military weapons to police departments, said reports. Reports also said Ruben Gallego, a Democratic representative from Arizona, would support such legislation. He stated that as “a combat veteran and a Marine” that such equipment has little value in policing. Doug Stafford, Senator Rand Paul’s (R-Ky) strategist, said that Paul has opposed the transfer of military weapons to police departments and would support legislation supporting demilitarization, said reports. It’s encouraging that there is bipartisan support on this.
In related matters, Representative Justin Amash (I-Mich.), a former libertarian Republican who voted for Trump’s impeachment, said he would introduce legislation that would end the prohibition of suing police officers. Amash tweeted that the bill would “correct” what he claims to be an error made by the Supreme Court when it established the doctrine of qualified immunity. Qualified immunity protects government officials, including police officers, from lawsuits alleging they violated a plaintiff’s rights unless a “clearly established” right has been violated. In practice, the doctrine blocks most lawsuits against police officers or departments.
“The brutal killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police is merely the latest in a long line of incidents of egregious police misconduct,” Amash said in reports. “This pattern continues because police are legally, politically, and culturally insulated from consequences for violating the rights of the people whom they have sworn to serve. That must change so that these incidents of brutality stop happening.”
This legislation should be a start in reforming our policing system to create a better form of public safety.
Jason Sibert is the Executive Director of the Peace Economy Project in St. Louis.
