Williams and Quezada blame leadership for deadlock over police misconduct bill

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PROVIDENCE, RI (WPRI) – Two state lawmakers who want to reform the RI Law Enforcement Bill of Rights expressed frustration on Wednesday afternoon that efforts to change the law had stalled.

State Representative Anastasia Williams and Senator Ana Quezada, both Democrats from Providence, held a press conference alongside members of the Black and Latino Legislative caucus, where they discussed the reasons they were able to achieve an agreement to move a bill forward.

Both lawmakers have suggested that the differences at this point are less about the substance of the bill and more about how the behind-the-scenes negotiations went.

They spoke after House and Senate leaders both announced that a consensus could not be reached until the end of the legislative session, which is expected to take place on Thursday evening.

House Speaker Joe Shekarchi was the first to say on Tuesday that talks have stalled.

It looks like we can’t reach consensus in the House on reforming LEOBOR until we finish our legislative work this week, Shekarchi said. I pledge to continue to work hard on this important issue, and if we have a fall session then hopefully we can have a resolution.

The Senate originally planned to move forward with a committee vote on a review of LEOBOR on Thursday, but called off the meeting on Wednesday after that chamber also found itself in a bind.

Momentum had built up to change the police misconduct law after George Floyd’s death last year and subsequent civil rights protests. But a slew of different bills have been introduced, ranging from incremental changes to a complete repeal of the law.

LEOBOR gives Rhode Island police officers the option of a disciplinary hearing before receiving a sanction greater than a two-day suspension. The hearing committee is made up of three active or retired law enforcement officers, two of whom are chosen by the accused officer.

The law also prohibits police chiefs from speaking publicly about cases of officer misconduct and delays the hearing process when a criminal charge is involved.

The most tangible current example is that of the police sergeant in Providence. Joseph Hanley, who remains employed by the Providence Police Department but suspended as he appeals a conviction for assault resulting from abuse of force at work despite town leaders wanting fire him. Police Chief Hugh Clements and Public Safety Commissioner Steven Par support LEOBOR reform, while Mayor Jorge Elorza wants a full repeal.

Police unions, while open to some small changes, have fought to uphold the law, arguing that it provides due process for officers who are supposed to make split-second decisions in stressful situations. Student.

A Senate-convened task force in December 2020 recommended extending the two-day maximum suspension to 14 days, adding more neutral parties to the hearing panel, and partially removing a gag order on police chiefs. , allowing them to make limited public statements. on the investigations into the agents they are about to end.

The sticking points in the negotiations seem to be over the length of the suspension and the composition of the hearing panel, rather than whether or not to repeal the law.

But some say incremental changes don’t go far enough. State Senator Tiara Mack, D-Providence, introduced a bill that would repeal LEOBOR completely.

We don’t need small steps towards justice, we need JUSTICE, she tweeted on Wednesday.

Reached by phone on Wednesday, Mack said she would likely vote against any bill that reforms LEOBOR but does not repeal it. She noted the fact that Rhode Island was planning to equip all police departments with body cameras, which she said could lead to more evidence of police misconduct.

“We are spending $ 15 million on body cameras and we still may not be able to fire people in law enforcement positions who are shown on camera for doing something wrong,” he said. Mack said.

This story will be updated after the 2 p.m. press conference.

Steph Machado ([email protected]) covers Providence, Politics and more for WPRI 12. Connect with Heron Twitter and Facebook

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