Gary Turco

From the floor of the House and Senate to social media and public rallies, the debate surrounding House Bill 6004, An Act Concerning Police Accountability was often intense and passionate. Republicans who opposed this legislation often misrepresented the reforms contained in the bill, even though they played a significant role in crafting it from the very beginning.
 

Connecticut Republicans want you to believe that they always vote to support state and municipal police. As the old saying goes: "Well done is better than well said." Here is what state Republicans really think of police:

• Just last year, House Republicans voted against the new state police contract (which included a 6.5 percent pay increase). 
• Connecticut Republicans have opposed many gun safety measures that police have supported. In 2019, nearly 40 House Republicans voted against banning so-called "ghost guns", which police departments across the state backed. 

Despite these actions, they are now asking Connecticut residents to trust that they have the best interests of police officers in mind by opposing this new legislation. Don't believe the propaganda. Here are the facts:

What H.B. 6004 Does Not Do

-End qualified immunity

• Only officers found guilty of "willful, wanton, or malicious" behavior will be personally liable if they are found to have committed a constitutional violation.
• States cannot eliminate it anyway since it is a doctrine established by federal courts.

-Defund police departments

• $4 million is included in the legislation to help municipalities purchase the body and dashboard cameras

What H.B. 6004 Does Do

-Provides officers with mental health support & improves recruitment

-Bans chokeholds & restricts when deadly force can be used

-Requires officers to intervene & report use of excessive force

-Creates an independent Office of the Inspector General

• Responsible for conducting investigations of officers and prosecuting cases where the Inspector General determines an officer used unjustifiable force

-Makes it easier to de-certify bad officers

• Grounds on which certification may be revoked include:
  • Conduct undermining public confidence in law enforcement (such as discriminatory conduct, racial profiling, and falsifying reports) and
  • Excessive force found to be unjustified after an investigation.

For a more complete summary of what this legislation does (including information on body and dashboard cameras, military equipment, and disclosure of public records), please click the link below.

This act is not only a crucial and necessary step forward in protecting the constitutional rights of all of our state's residents, but it also bolsters support for the honorable men and women in law enforcement.

So when you see Republicans spread lies and misinformation on police reform and say how they stand with officers, remember their actions and not their words.

Fight fiction with fact.