Category: CRJ301 Police Mgt

George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020

Vote NO to HR 1280 the ‘‘George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021’’

This HR 1280 ‘‘George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021’’ as a whole is disastrous to policing. There may be some provisions in the bill that could be positive but how HR 1280 was developed and in its current form it is detrimental to community safety and policing.

What happened to Mr. George Floyd is tragic and should never happen again. However, the process of calling for a change to 18,000 different police departments because of one single incident is a disservice to the citizens and it will negatively impact the type of policing the public receives. 

As of this date there has not been a determination as to what the factors caused the police response that led to the death of George Floyd. Still without a critical examination of all the factors that led to Mr. Floyd’s death legislatures have blindly submitted laws across the country to make changes in policing. This this process is akin to someone dying during a routine operation and Congress passing laws on how doctors should operate without a full review on the cause of death.  It doesn’t make sense.

Policing is local just like politics and crime is local. If changes to police must be made do so smartly and not because of few loud voices of radical criminals that created carnage in American streets.  Defund the police? That narrative is driven from various small groups and a news media that has an agenda to delegitimize law enforcement.  Hometown America isn’t looking to defund the police.  The best measure to understand the need for change in policing is to look back on 5-24-2020, where there were no calls for change in policing.

To back HR 2080 shows that you have no concern for the police and little concern for the citizens they protect.

www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr7120/BILLS-116hr7120pcs.pdf

Here is the LINK to the bill’s page

Daniel Prude death: No charges for Rochester police officers


Police officers in New York need to pay attention to the agenda of AG Letitia James. After not being able to indict the Rochester Officers involved with the death of Daniel Prude AG James now thinks the Grand Jury process is inadequate. She controlled the investigation in the Daniel Prude case, her office presented the evidence to the Grand Jury and after the Grand Jury didn’t indict the Grand Jury system is broken? WHY? 23 citizens didn’t fulfill their oath as a Grand Juror? Maybe the Grand Jurors felt that there simply wasn’t enough probable cause to indict the officers on the charges that the AG office was alleging.
The most concerning attack on New York Police is AG James wanting to change when a police officer will be permitted to use deadly physical force. AG James said she wants to change Penal Law Article 35 from a “subjective simple necessity” standard to an “absolute last resort exhausting all other non-lethal means before using deadly force”. This is very dangerous for police. The concern is that Police will be too pressured not to make a mistake that police and citizens will be more at risk of injury or death because of the hesitancy and confusion when police can use deadly force to protect themselves and others. It is easy to see that “Absolute Last Resort Exhausting All Other Non-Lethal Means Before Using Deadly Force” would create circumstances that police might delay their use of deadly force just enough where the offender’s use of deadly force would be effective injuring or killing someone. Reaction is slower than action. Clouding the officer’s reaction by mandating a menu of mandatory responses when immediately needed response should be deadly force places people in unnecessary danger.

Attorney General James Press Conference – February 23, 2021 HERE
The NYS Attorney General Website is HERE

Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit Report on the Investigation into The Death of Daniel Prude
can be accessed HERE

Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit

On July 8, 2015, Governor Cuomo issued Executive Order No. 147, which appointed the New York State Attorney General as special prosecutor in incidents where a law enforcement officer causes the death of an unarmed civilian, or where there is a significant question as to whether the civilian was armed and dangerous. The following day, the office announced the creation of the Special Investigations and Prosecutions Unit (SIPU) to investigate and, if warranted, prosecute all cases that fall within the scope of Executive Order 147.
The SIPU website with more reports is HERE

Illinois House Bill 3653: Criminal Justice Omnibus Bill

Illinois Police Reform Act

Summary of Provisions in Illinois House Bill 3653: Criminal Justice Omnibus Bill
Here is a nice summary of some of the provisions in the bill:
https://www.civicfed.org/iifs/blog/summary-provisions-illinois-house-bill-3653-criminal-justice-omnibus-bill

The bill can be found HERE
The history of the bill can be found here…… https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=3653&GAID=15&DocTypeID=HB&LegID=120371&SessionID=108&SpecSess=&Session=&GA=101

Queens DA Reveals New Internal List Of NYPD Officers With Credibility Issues

Queens prosecutors have been tracking at least 78 NYPD officers whose credibility have been challenged in court, according to documents obtained by Gothamist/WNYC as part of a two-year fight to get the information released under the state’s public records law.
The documents flag past incidents of suspected police dishonesty and previously unreported details of officers who remained on the force despite criminal convictions.
NOTE: As part of the article there are some examples of written notice by the District Attorney as part of disclosure that indicates if an Officer has been involved any (I am guessing) “negative issues” that involved a Civil proceeding, Prior Testimony, or Disciplinary Matters with a summary that is redacted that must be the highlights that the District Attorney must want to point out.
Read more…. https://gothamist.com/news/queens-prosecutors-tracked-nypd-cops-suspected-lying-and-criminal-convictions-documents-show