The Recast: Today’s GOP is all about fealty. That’s risky.
This article features Government Accountability Project and was originally published here.
On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Project, a leading whistleblower protection advocacy group, sent letters to House and Senate leadership urging them to pass “anti-retaliation rights” for those who report law enforcement misconduct. The group, along with nearly 170 other organizations, is seeking protections for officers who report misconduct on colleagues. It’s asking that these protections be added to the police reform bill being negotiated by a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
Talks on police reform picked up steam after a Minneapolis police officer was found guilty in the murder of George Floyd last month. The president gave May 25, the anniversary of Floyd’s death, as a deadline for the police reform package to be passed by Congress. It does not appear that deadline will be met.
“[T]he “blue wall of silence,” compounded by the lack of anti-retaliation protection for law enforcement, forces law enforcement officers to risk their careers, safety, or even their lives when they choose to blow the whistle,” one of the letters states.
Meanwhile … Police “justified” in shooting of Andrew Brown Jr. — Pasquotank County District Attorney Andrew Womble said the use of deadly force was appropriate when three deputies shot and killed Andrew Brown Jr., who was Black, in Elizabeth City, N.C., last month.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Womble said Brown did not comply with commands from deputies and proceeded to drive his vehicle at officers, who feared for their lives. The Charlotte Observer reports none of the deputies will be charged.