The bill, introduced on Jan. 5 and passed during the closing hours of the lame duck session – the Senate got a revised version at 3 a.m. on the final day and sent it to the House two hours later – was one of the last pieces of legislation to pass the General Assembly before adjournment last week. Supporters say that the 764-page bill sent to the governor will make police more accountable while putting poor defendants on an equal footing with accused criminals who have sufficient cash to bond out of jail.
The bill contains dozens of changes to state law beyond the elimination of cash bail in 2023. There would be statewide use-of-force standards, and all police officers would have to be equipped with body cameras by 2025. The state Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board could receive complaints, anonymously or otherwise, conduct investigations and revoke certification for cops who engage in misconduct ranging from excessive use of force to turning off body cameras, and without state certification, cops can't work. Cops also could lose certification for "any unprofessional, unethical, deceptive or deleterious conduct or practice harmful to the public; such conduct or practice need not have resulted in actual injury to any person." The bill defines unprofessional conduct as departure from "minimal standards of acceptable and prevailing practice of an officer."