Harrisburg, PA – After two police reform bills were started and passed in the House of Representatives, our state Senate unanimously passed and sent to the Governor’s desk those same bills.
They were passed unanimously in the House last week, and Gov. Wolf has said he will sign both measures into law.
One bill requires police departments to disclose the employment histories of their officers, including all complaints and disciplinary actions. The data will be kept by the Municipal Police Officers Education and Training Commission. All police departments will be required to run background checks on all applicants using this database.
The second bill requires officer training in interactions with people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as well as techniques in de-escalation and harm-reduction. It also requires any officer involved in an incident involving lethal force to be evaluated for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder within 30 days of the incident. That officer cannot return to duty unless cleared by a licensed physician.
Senate Democrats added that they will hold meetings with community leaders and residents about ending systematic racism, called the “Racial Equity Solutions Tour.”
Listen to the audio quotes from Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa of Allegheny County and Senator Anthony Hardy Williams of Philadelphia.
