Florida appeals court ruling gives police officers âMarsyâs Lawâ protections
âTodayâs decision was an unfortunate setback for police accountability,â a Tampa lawyer for media organizations said.
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Siding with a union that represents law-enforcement officers, a state appeals court on Tuesday unanimously decided that a constitutional amendment expanding victimsâ rights can shield the identities of police officers who were threatened in use-of-force incidents. [ Photo illustration by ASHLEY DYE and MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times ]
By News Service of Florida
Published 2 hours ago
Updated 2 hours ago
TALLAHASSEE Siding with a union that represents law-enforcement officers, a state appeals court on Tuesday unanimously decided that a constitutional amendment expanding victimsâ rights can shield the identities of police officers who were threatened in use-of-force incidents.
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Two Tallahassee police officers involved in use of force cases can keep their identities private under Marsy s Law.
Siding with a union that represents law-enforcement officers, a state appeals court on Tuesday unanimously decided that a constitutional amendment expanding victims’ rights can shield the identities of police officers who were threatened in use-of-force incidents.
The decision by a three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal came in a lawsuit filed on behalf of two Tallahassee police officers who maintained that, as victims, they were entitled to privacy protections included in the 2018 constitutional amendment known as “Marsy’s Law.”
Police who shoot civilians can hide their names under victims rights law, court rules Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat
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In a decision that could have sweeping implications in police use-of-force cases, a Florida appellate court has ruled that officers who kill citizens can hide their identity under a measure designed to protect crime victims from violence and harassment.
A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal on Tuesday unanimously reversed a lower court decision that had denied on-duty officers protections under Marsy s Law, a provision that has been adopted in at least 12 states, including Florida.
In October, a USA TODAY/ProPublica investigation showed that as police across the nation faced scrutiny over accusations of brutality and systemic racism, law enforcement agencies – particularly in Florida – increasingly were co-opting Marsy s Law to shield the identifies of officers accused of violence.
Some of them are beyond rust. (Florida state prisons)
A plan to shutter up to four state prisons is alarming officials in Florida’s rural regions where correctional institutions have played an outsized role in providing jobs and supporting businesses for decades.
Senate President Wilton Simpson’s proposal to consolidate prisons and demolish four facilities drew bipartisan pushback when it was released recently as lawmakers began to piece together next year’s state budget.
Simpson, R-Trilby, has defended consolidation and closures, saying the plan is designed to resuscitate a prison system in crisis. The Department of Corrections for years has grappled with decaying infrastructure, an exceedingly high worker turnover rate and staffing vacancies so dire they now pose security threats to employees and inmates.
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