After the death of Goerge Floyd in Minneapolis, Michigan Senate passed a bill to reduce excess police force. | Wikimedia Commons
After the death of Goerge Floyd in Minneapolis, Michigan Senate passed a bill to reduce excess police force. | Wikimedia Commons
The Michigan state senate has passed legislation strengthening training requirements for law enforcement officers to reduce the use of excessive force and improve community relations.
Senate Bill 945 requires law enforcement officers to complete training on “implicit bias” procedural justice and de-escalation techniques. They would also receive information on mental health resources and would be required to take annual continuing education classes.
Law enforcement agencies would have to adopt policies, stating that police officers have “an affirmative duty” to use de-escalation techniques. The bill calls for the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards to develop a model policy that departments could adopt. Under the legislation, departments would have until Jan. 1, 2022, to adopt a policy.
“Continued instances of police brutality in America prove that more should be done to train and prepare law enforcement agencies on how to peaceably de-escalate situations and improve community relations, especially in communities of color,” State Sen. Peter Lucido (R-Shelby Township) chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said in a press release from the Michigan Senate GOP. “Law enforcement is held to a higher standard and the training improvements included in this bill will help agencies to better meet those expectations. We must do better and work harder to create environments of mutual respect and understanding.”
The legislation is now going to the House for consideration. The proposal follows national protests and unrest following the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer praised the Senate for passage of SB 945.
“Here in Michigan, we are taking action and working together to address the inequities Black Michiganders face every day,” she told Hour Detroit. “That’s why I’m calling on Michigan police departments to strengthen their training and policies to save lives and keep people safe. I am also ready to partner with the Michigan Legislature and law enforcement officials to pass police reform bills into law.”
But the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police opposed the bill, Metro Times reported. Executive Director Robert Stevenson argued law enforcement professionals should set training curriculum, not the legislature.
Alerts Sign-up