HARTFORD, Conn. — The state's Joint Committee on the Judiciary announced the draft of a new bill Friday morning.
At a 10 a.m. press conference, the committee's co-chairs and ranking members unveiled 'An Act Concerning Police Accountability.'
Senators Gary A. Winfield (D-New Haven) and Steve Stafstrom (D-Bridgeport), along with State Representatives John A. Kissel (R-Enfield) and Rosa C. Rebimbas (R-Naugatuck) will speak on the north steps of the State Capitol.
The 63-page drafted bill comes in the wake of protests from coast-to-coast in response to George Floyd's death in Minneapolis Police custody and other recent incidents of racial injustice.
The four legislative leaders released the following joint statement regarding the proposal:
"This draft is the product of many hours of joint discussions and review amongst the leaders of our Committee. This proposal is a compilation of those discussions. We have received and appreciated the input from our respective caucuses and the public at large that has gone into the drafting of this bill. While this is not a final product, we do believe that it is a robust package and invite additional input from the public at this time. We appreciate and look forward to your review and feedback on this draft as it moves forward.”
The draft lays out a long list of proposals -- one of the biggest changes would be the creation of a new inspector general.
The person in this position would be in charge of investigating deadly police shooting.
Currently, any police use of force incidents are investigated by Connecticut State Police, and then turned over to a state’s attorney from another part of the state.
The draft also mentions new training methods and certifications for officers who graduated the police academy. Periodic mental health screenings for officers would also be implemented.
Additionally, the bill would require all police vehicles used by officers to use dashboard cameras and expand the use of body cameras.
Governor Ned Lamont released the following statement Friday on the proposed legislation:
“We find ourselves at an important moment in our history as a state and as a country. Following the murder of George Floyd, more attention has been paid, in a meaningful way, to other incidents at the hands of law enforcement. The time is now for meaningful police accountability reforms. I wrote to all four caucus leaders in the General Assembly in early June calling on them to address this important issue. I am pleased to see they are taking that charge seriously. I look forward to reviewing the bill and working with them to ensure meaningful reforms are implemented.”
“Although we may not always agree on every single issue, it is open and transparent dialogue between us that brings us to the product that we were able to release last night,” Rep. Steve Stafstrom (D- Bridgeport) said.
“Post has the ability to remove or de-certify a police officer when they’ve engaged in instances of excess use of force or when they’ve engaged in conduct that undermines public confidence in law-enforcement,” Stafstrom continues
Sen. John Kissler who worked on this bill says he does not yet fully support it.
“I have not personally endorsed this proposal, I’m still looking to hear from my constituents and folks in law-enforcement and folks and other communities to get as much human feedback as possible on this very long and very complex Bill,” Kissler said.
In a statement sent to FOX61, Executive Director of the State Police Union, Andrew Matthews said, “if the proposed bill was to pass in its current form, we believe it would lead many officers in the state of Connecticut to retire, resign or reconsider police work.”
Take a look at the draft bill below:
Gov. Lamont also signed hos own executive order last month on police accountability including the following five steps:
- Choke-hold ban
- Use of force policy updates
- Community liaisons
- De-militarization of State Police
- Body-cams and cruiser-cams
