“Let me say this very clearly: Black lives matter,” Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said before the bills were signed. “But saying it, that’s not enough. We must listen and we must take action. And today … there will be a down payment on the types of reforms we must comply with here in Pennsylvania.”
A law will require officers to turn over all past employment records when requesting new roles in law enforcement. It will require law enforcement agencies to explain why agents with past crimes were hired and requires the creation of a database where departments can document disciplinary actions.
The other law requires officers’ mental health assessments and training in the use of force, escalation, and community and cultural justice.
Wolf, a Democrat, acknowledged that the laws “are still not enough to stop the systemic racism and oppression that still exist throughout our Community.”
“Systemic racism is a complex issue,” he said. “It has been around for centuries and in many ways it is ingrained in our society. And I am not going to minimize the challenges we all face to eradicate it, but we have to find a way to eradicate it. We need to end racism.”
Michelle Kenney, Rose’s mother, “believes this bill will save lives in the future. She is right,” Shapiro said of the move that creates a new database of disciplinary actions and complaints against officers.
“It is through this action that we begin to rebuild the trust that has been lost for decades with misbehavior and injustice,” Shapiro said.
“I think this is just the beginning,” Shapiro said of the new police reform legislation.
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