Veto initiative to mask ID of cops involved in killings
You know how the saying goes: “Same ----, different day.”
That’s the way it’s been in Pennsylvania’s Republican-dominated General Assembly, where House members have once again advanced legislation that would keep vital information from the public in the event of police officers using force that results in serious injury or death.
That vital information is the names of officers involved in such incidents, and it should be released regardless of internal investigations, officer consent, criminal charges or whatever other phony benchmarks legislators decide to dream up in their quixotic quest to deny the public information about police officers’ use of serious and/or deadly force.
The measure, known as House Bill 27, was introduced by Rep. Martina White, R-Philadelphia, and passed a vote on the House floor on Monday, 157 to 39. It would prohibit releasing the identities of officers for 30 days, until an investigation is complete, unless criminal charges are filed or the officers consent. And even then, the bill only says that officers’ identities “may” be released — not that they will be made public.
Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a similar measure in November. He should commit now to strike down this bill, should it manage to advance through the state Senate again.
There’s no room for obfuscation, obstruction or unnecessary delays when it comes to public officials seriously injuring or killing someone in the course of discharging their duties. By taking the state down this road, legislators risk fostering distrust between departments and the communities they serve and exacerbating the tensions that have led to a bitter nationwide debate over how departments should handle officer-involved shootings.
In other words, this is the worst kind of lawmaking: short-sighted, self-involved and ultimately self-destructive.
There is no reason why Pennsylvanians cannot respect and value police officers’ duties while also requiring them to be accountable to the public for their actions.
There’s another saying: “With great power comes great responsibility.” That concept should be — and has been — a guiding principle for police officers as they protect and serve their communities.
It’s deeply troubling that members of the General Assembly don’t seem to understand that fact.