Veto kills real police reform for another year
Sherry Robinson
Out of all the police reform legislation that rumbled through the Roundhouse recently, only one bill would have made a significant difference and the governor vetoed it.
The problem is, after a police shooting or excessive-use-of-force incident, the state’s investigation takes so long that a bad officer can resign from one department and get hired by another. The backlog of cases goes back two to three years.
SB 375 would have shaken up the Law Enforcement Academy Board and changed its duties. Created in 1969, the board sets requirements for hiring and certification, investigates officer misconduct, prescribes discipline, and oversees training. The bill would have given the board responsibility for new and better training and shifted the badly backlogged disciplinary and certification process to a new, independent board.