Shekarchi’s Team Shoots Down Reform Amendment to LEOBOR Bill
Friday, May 10, 2024
Harrison Tuttle, who heads BLM RI PAC, said that the Rhode Island House of Representatives leadership bill on LEOBOR (Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights) reform needed a critical amendment on Thursday.
"The floor amendment, referred to as a 'George Floyd litmus test,' aimed to serve as a measure of accountability regarding the unjust use of deadly force. This amendment is proposed within the context of LEOBOR reform legislation. Its purpose is to ensure that law enforcement officers are held accountable for their actions, particularly in cases involving the unjust or excessive use of deadly force, echoing the public's demand for accountability, especially in light of incidents such as the killing of George Floyd,” said Tuttle.
But Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi’s team shot down the proposal, and the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association celebrated the passage of the bill without the amendment.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The passage of this legislation is the result of a positive and powerful collaboration between community groups, legislative leaders and members of law enforcement,” said Chief Bradford Connor, Warwick Police Chief and President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association. “We welcome increased transparency because it will help us gain trust with the communities we serve. We are grateful to our legislative leaders for making meaningful and needed changes to the law.”
Shekarchi, too, praised the legislation.
“I am proud of the LEOBOR bills, which were negotiated with the participation of the House and Senate, the police unions, the police chiefs and other interested parties. Both chambers have been working on this issue for over two years with the goals of achieving due process, accountability and transparency. This was so important that we included those goals in the title of the bills,” said Shekarchi (D-Dist. 23, Warwick). “Although some do not believe these bills go far enough, it has been decades since we have been able to address police misconduct in such a meaningful and substantive way. We recognize the important work that law enforcement does in our communities. However, the status quo is unacceptable and these bills create a framework to address police misconduct.”
Late Effort Falls Short
The Rhode Island Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian-American and Pacific Islander Caucus (RIBLIA) announced that the bill did not include the reforms needed for the caucus to support it.
The Caucus in a statement said:
“LEOBOR reform is long overdue, and the RIBLIA Caucus is hopeful that meaningful change will take place this session. With that being said, the caucus will not support change just for change’s sake which is why our members have prioritized specific reforms that any proposed legislation that the caucus will support must include. While we appreciate the work of our colleagues to address three of these reforms, the current bill does not address what we conceptualize as the 'George Floyd litmus test.' If a police officer is found to have used deadly force in violation of departmental policies and regulations, a police chief should have the authority to terminate their employment. As we have seen in recent high-profile cases of police misconduct in Rhode Island, delaying a LEOBOR hearing until after the conclusion of a criminal investigation and trial can keep bad law enforcement officers in their positions, with city benefits, for years. While the other reforms in this bill are important, they would not allow for an officer to be swiftly disciplined and fired for life-threatening or life-ending misconduct.”
“We have proposed a floor amendment that would empower the chief or highest-ranking officer of a department to take employment disciplinary measures, including termination, if an accused law enforcement officer violates department rules by using deadly force. Under this amendment, the accused officer's recourse would be confined to the grievance and arbitration provisions specified in their collective bargaining agreement, effectively bypassing the LEOBOR hearing panel altogether. A majority of caucus members and several white allies have expressed their commitment to supporting the amendment. Unless this amendment is adopted, a majority of the caucus will vote against the bill.”
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