New Jefferson Institute Study Urges Policing Reform

Website  |   About   |    Policy Studies  |   Events |   Support NEWS ... NEWS ... NEWS ...   Thomas Jefferson Institute Paper: Prevent Police Accountability in Police Union Contracts   7/23/2020 - The Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy today released a paper, Collective Bargaining Agreements and Police Accountability: Stopping the Problem Before It Begins, urging the General Assembly to reform Virginia's recently-approved collective bargaining process. The reform would limit the scope of the collective bargaining process for police to compensation and benefits.   "Yesterday's General Assembly committee hearing underscored the limitations of Virginia's decertification policy and the ease with which law enforcement officers accused of misconduct can move from one locale to another," noted Chris Braunlich, president of the Thomas Jefferson Institute. "But even expanding decertification is insufficient: Police union contracts in other states create a multitude of procedural steps making accountability difficult, if not impossible."   "The killing of George Floyd at a police officer's hands as other officers watched was appalling," Braunlich continued. "Mr. Floyd is dead is because the disciplinary procedures contained in the Minneapolis collective bargaining agreement negotiated by the police union protected a bad cop and allowed him on the street."   Braunlich noted that Virginia will permit collective bargaining with law enforcement units starting in May of 2021: "Police union contracts have been problems in nearly every state and city where they exist; it is a problem Virginia should stop before it begins."   The study reviews provisions of police union contracts in 81 of the largest cities, highlighting ways in which those contracts undercut efforts to achieve police accountability. Among them:   Restricting interrogations by delaying or limiting the circumstances under which an accused officer may be interviewed; Providing officers under investigation access to information civilian suspects do not receive; Limiting disciplinary consequences for officers, including preventing a history of misconduct from being from being considered in future cases; Erasing records of misconduct, sometimes in as little time as six months; and Allowing decisions of police chiefs to be overturned by binding arbitration, resulting in an officer's return to the streets.   "These contracts tie police chiefs' hands by putting bad cops back on the street. They undercut the credibility and authority of good police officers putting their lives on the line. And they have resulted in deaths that should never be tolerated in America," Braunlich concluded.   The paper can be read by clicking here.   -30- Contact: Christian N. Braunlich President, Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy (571) 212-0058   Join Our Mailing List! Forward To A Friend

Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy, 7011 Dreams Way Court, Alexandria, VA 22315 SafeUnsubscribe™ alexanderofyork@yorkteaparty.org Forward this email | Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by info@thomasjeffersoninst.org powered by Try email marketing for free today!