The Connecticut House of Representatives passed a police reform bill on Friday after an all-night debate that would reduce legal immunity protections for officers.
The House voted 86-58 in favor of the legislation, which is now pending in the state Senate.
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The legislation would require reform of police practices and training, which states across the country have been weighing in recent weeks in the wake of the murder of the Minneapolis man, George Floyd, while in police custody in May.
The bill also includes the appointment of a new inspector general who would be responsible for investigating police use of force cases, periodic mental health examinations for officers, limits on circumstances in which fatal use is warranted force and mandatory body cameras for all state and local officials. The bill also includes mandatory training for officers on implicit biases.
The section that sparked hours of debate overnight was a change to state law that would allow civil suits against police officers when they violate an individual’s civil rights. Under the legislation, officers would not be allowed to claim the government’s immunity in defense of the lawsuits, unless they had a “good faith objective belief” that the conduct did not violate the law.
Under the bill, municipalities and police departments, not police officers, would have to pay legal premiums, but officers would be personally liable if their conduct was determined to be “malicious, meaningless or intentional.”
That provision in the legislation was rejected by police and city leaders, who said it would prompt officers to resign or withdraw prematurely, while deterring future police officers from joining the force.
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Republican lawmakers also opposed that provision, but one amendment failed in a tied vote.
The legislation would also limit the use of chokes and other restrictions that could affect breathing to situations only where officers believe they are necessary to protect themselves from the use of deadly force.
The bill also requires officers to intervene if they see other officers using excessive force, and requires them to report any misconduct to supervisors.
Also this week in Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a temporary police reform bill that will limit police use of force tactics.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law last month that also included a state ban on stranglings and the appointment of a special prosecutor to review cases of police officers who kill unarmed people. The legislation also made false 911 calls based on race a crime.
Cuomo also signed an executive order last month that withheld funds from non-reform police departments. The order required police departments across the state to work with communities to enact new reforms.
The reforms come amid protests across the country after Floyd’s death. Some of the protests, devoted to police brutality, went into a movement to “unseat the police.”
The appearance of the police is different in various locations. In Minneapolis, the supermajority of City Hall apparently supports a complete structural dismantling of the department. Elsewhere, departments would remain in place but would get fewer resources from the government, with some of their funds going to social justice programs.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
