Arizona legislators make a
pretty solid effort to shield cops from public scrutiny
J.D. Tuccille
Super TroopersShootings by police officers
make the headlines, especially when they occur under questionable
circumstances. People get upset when people are shot by police—especially,
again, when they occur under questionable circumstances. When people get upset
at police officers, they sometimes say mean things about them on Facebook and
Twitter. And that is why Arizona police officers' names have to be kept secret
after they're involved in shootings. Because mean tweets.
Well, OK. It's because somebody
might eventually do something other than vent through social media.
From the Arizona Republic:
Pinal County Chief Deputy Steve
Henry was in support of the bill Wednesday and said he thinks the public needs
a "cooling off" period after officer-involved shootings. Henry said a
Pinal County sheriff's deputy who was subjected to mean-spirited social-media
posts after an officer-involved shooting drove Henry to that conclusion.
"There are no secrets
anymore," Henry said. "We are in a difficult position with social
media."
What bill does Deputy Henry
support? Glad you asked. He supports SB 1445, which would prevent the release
of the names of police officers involved in incidents that result in serious
injury or death for 90 days so that they can avoid the slings and arrows of
unfriendly Facebook posts.
Asked at a hearing about the
need for such a measure, given that nobody has come up with an example of
officers harmed other than feelings-wise by the publication of their names,
sponsor Sen. Steve Smith (R-Maricopa) answered, "Should we wait for an
officer to die to do something?"
Well, you never can be too
safe, I suppose.
After the 90 days runs out,
such officers names could be released if:
a) the peace officer has been
arrested or formally charged by complaint, information or indictment for
actions related to the incident;
b) the criminal investigation
of the incident is complete;
c) the peace officer consents
in writing to the release; or
d) an Arizona rule of criminal
procedure requires the release.
Given that one common complaint
about law enforcement agencies is that internal investigations of officer
misconduct too often drag out until finally concluding that there's nothing to
see here so move along, conditions "a" and "b" might be
enough to turn 90 days into something better measured by carbon dating.
Condition "c" just ain't gonna happen. So the bill looks like a
pretty solid effort to shield cops from public scrutiny.
After the hearing, SB 1445 won
approval from the Arizona Senate Committee on Public Safety, Military, and
Technology. Sen. Smith's office did not respond to a request for comment by
press time.
J.D. Tuccille is managing
editor of Reason.com.
