LANSING, Michigan — Senators Roger Victory (R-Hudsonville) and Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) introduced a bill package on Tuesday that would improve police accountability and transparency in Michigan.
The bipartisan package includes 12 bills that cover a wide range of issues in law enforcement, including no-knock warrants, use of force and de-escalation training.
“As our nation marks the one-year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, we are coming together here in Michigan to address police accountability and transparency, especially regarding use of force," said Chang. "Change in our justice system is overdue, and this bipartisan package is the result of months of work to develop practical solutions to improve policing and public safety in our communities."
“This is an opportunity for us to unite to protect all Michiganders with proactive measures that will put in place the best practices from law enforcement agencies across our state,” said Victory. "I believe we all have the shared goals of improving policing, community interactions and public perceptions while supporting the many courageous police officers who keep our families safe."
SB 473, sponsored by Victory, would require law enforcement agencies to develop guidelines for independent investigations and publicly-available policies regarding officer-involved deaths. SB 481, sponsored by Chang, would require law enforcement agencies to update use of force policies to exhaust other options before using deadly force.
The other bills in the package include:
- SB 474, sponsored by Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, to require Use of Force violations to be included in separation records maintained by MCOLES.
- SB 475, sponsored by Sen. Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, to allow MCOLES to revoke the license of an officer who used excessive force causing death or serious bodily harm.
- SB 476, sponsored by Sen. Jim Ananich, D-Flint, to ban the intentional disclosure of the identity of a person who made a misconduct complaint against a law enforcement officer.
- SB 477, sponsored by Sen. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, to exempt a police union from representing a member in a disciplinary action if it is determined by the union that the grievance is without merit.
- SB 478, sponsored by Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, to ban the use of the chokehold as a restraint method except to save a life.
- SB 479, sponsored by Sen. Erika Geiss, D-Taylor, to ban the use of “no-knock” warrants except in certain circumstances and better define “knock and enter” warrants.
- SB 480, sponsored by Sen. Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, to establish an affirmative duty to intervene to prevent the excessive use of force by another officer and allow for disciplinary action for those who fail to do so.
- SB 482, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, to require training standards regarding de-escalation, implicit bias, and behavioral health be developed by MCOLES and require continuing education for law enforcement officers.
- SB 483, sponsored by Sen. Michael D. MacDonald, R-Macomb Township, to direct MCOLES to commission a study on the recruitment and retention of law enforcement officers to discover barriers to attracting and retaining high quality individuals.
- SB 484, sponsored by Sen. Marshall Bullock, D-Detroit, to specifically include tampering with body cameras or intentionally turning off the camera for the purpose of interfering with an investigation or proceeding in the crime of tampering with evidence.
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