Introduces Bill to Shield Police from Endless Investigations
MADISON—Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) testified today on legislation he introduced with Rep. Clint Moses (R-Menomonie) that places a reasonable limit on open-ended investigations into law enforcement officers.
There is currently no requirement that new evidence be brought forward disputing the finding of self-defense, no time limitation on when such investigations can be opened, and no limit to the number of times the case can be re-opened.
The bill requires that new evidence must be presented to a judge before they can re-open a case against an officer. Officers who are involved in a use of force incident are already required to undergo investigations, providing multiple opportunities to ensure justice is properly served. This bill doesn’t change that.
However, the obscure “John Doe” statute subjects officers to a potentially endless legal process, a process that becomes the punishment in cases where a duly elected DA declines to issue charges and investigations have cleared the officer of wrongdoing.
Senator Hutton issued the following statement:
“In many conversations with law enforcement, it became clear to me that the threat of legal harassment is pushing officers out of the force and seriously harming recruitment. Officers handle very tough situations every day with great professionalism, yet they face the possibility that any one of those encounters will lead to their professional, personal and financial ruin.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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No money for state crime laws, and we see this proposal?
Why would a police officer fear an investigation of a shooting?
Why not have all police shootings go to trial? If everything is done right, there is nothing to worry about, and the community sees that twelve members of the community agree that the shooting was justified.
I’m confused as to why the police would want less. There would be no confusion as to what happened. The police officer would be officially cleared of any wrong doing. What is wrong with that approach?
When someone is given a weapon, there should be training and – real training. Have you seen police officers who were overweight? Are they trained in self-defense? What about de-escalation? Is it always two shots center-mass? In South Korea, the first round is a blank. Could the first round be non-lethal?