R.I. House to vote on bill protecting deadly force offenders
From Sunshine Review
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June 26, 2009 The Rhode Island House will vote on a bill endorsed by the House Judiciary Committee that would shield police officers involved in deadly force incidents from public identification until a grand jury reviews them. [1]
[edit] Open Records Law
The bill, expected to face a vote today, would specifically protect those officers involved in deadly force incidents that resulted in killing.[2] It would amend the Open Records Law, which currently mandates the release of police incident reports, exempting the officers involved in deadly force episodes from this requirement.
Rep. Kenneth A. Vaudreuil, a Democrat from Central Falls, introduced the bill at the request of Central Falls police. Both current and retired police officers are cosponsors on the bill.[1]
[edit] Reasoning for
The bill's supporters say that the officers and their families are placed under significant stress after the incident and that the public identification exacerbates it. Some officers retire due to the stress, supporters say.[2]
Judiciary Committee Chairman Donald J. Lally, Jr., D-Narragansett, said, "The fact that a police officer defends our society, we just felt that the officer should not be put under additional scrutiny."[1]
[edit] Reasoning against
The Rhode Island Affiliate of the American Civil Liberties Union questions officers’ rights to secrecy as they serve the public. Steve Brown, RI Affiliate of the ACLU executive said of Lally’s statement, "I don’t quite understand the logic of that. Officers, as public servants exercising a public action, should be held to a higher standard."[1]
A member of the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Edith Ajello, D-Providence, disagrees with the committee's chairman, saying that withholding the identities stifles transparency and benefits a special group of people.[1]
[edit] In the past
This bill arrives at the same time the House is working on a bill that would expand the Open Records Law.
Central Falls police, the department that requested the bill of Rep. Lally, has a history with this issue. Two years ago, several Central Falls police officers were involved in an incident resulting in a man shot dead in his apartment. The Superior Court then ordered the police department to release the identities of the officers, but the department did not, claiming protection under the Open Records Law.[1]
[edit] External links
- RI Affiliate of the ACLU website
- Central Falls Police Department website
- RI General Assembly website
[edit] References
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