Florida Bills Would Ban Civilian Police Oversight Boards

[iluvatar5150]

Police oversight boards now a target of law enforcement, Florida GOP lawmakers

“I actually think that these boards are divisive,” said Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, a former Florida Republican Party chair.

www.tallahassee.com

Florida legislation would ban civilian police oversight boards

Florida Republicans and police unions insist that toothless civilian oversight boards are still more scrutiny than police deserve.

reason.com

Two bills advancing through the Florida Legislature would ban cities and counties from forming civilian police oversight boards and dissolve already-existing boards.

The legislation, House Bill 601 and its companion Senate Bill 576, would make it unlawful for a county or municipal government to pass ordinances related to civilian oversight of police misconduct investigations or the handling of misconduct complaints against law enforcement officers.

Currently, the bills have passed several committees, and the Tallahassee Democrat reports they have the support of Republican majorities in both chambers, as well as influential Florida law enforcement groups.

The bill's text says its purpose is to create a uniform process for how police departments handle misconduct complaints against officers, but it would also leave police departments to hold themselves accountable and eliminate 21 civilian police oversight boards operating throughout Florida.

 

[BPPLEE]

Police oversight boards now a target of law enforcement, Florida GOP lawmakers

“I actually think that these boards are divisive,” said Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, a former Florida Republican Party chair.

www.tallahassee.com

Florida legislation would ban civilian police oversight boards

Florida Republicans and police unions insist that toothless civilian oversight boards are still more scrutiny than police deserve.

reason.com

I have no problem with civilian review boards if there are certain requirements to be on the board.
Do they have knowledge of the lawful use of force? Do they know the law? Do they know the policies of the department?
I don’t think people with no knowledge in the field should be on the boards.

 

[iluvatar5150]

I have no problem with civilian review boards

Then you apparently have no place in the Florida Republican party.

 

[BPPLEE]

Then you apparently have no place in the Florida Republican party.

I have no problem with what they’re doing either. Perhaps there’s a problem with the oversight boards in Florida

 

[Laodicean60]

I don't think this is a good idea. I am ignorant about my 4th amendment rights, especially on traffic stops or filming on public property. I was amazed that the police don't know the Fourth Amendment and use their badge as supreme authority. My son used his rights on a search (learned on YouTube) in a Walmart parking lot. We need civilian oversight over the government.

 

[iluvatar5150]

I have no problem with what they’re doing either. Perhaps there’s a problem with the oversight boards in Florida

If there’s a problem with them, why not set guidelines instead of abolishing them?

 

[SimplyMe]

I'm fully against this action by Florida. I might support it if they created requirements to serve on a board but, in my experience, civilian oversight boards are needed. I could also agree with laws that might somewhat limit civilian oversight boards, splitting authority between the civilian and police oversight boards -- where the police provide context to actions that civilians don't have the experience to fully understand.

My issue is that, from my limited experience, the civilian oversight is needed to help prevent "corruption" -- particularly where police oversight, led by officers, tend to often "protect their own." I think this is particularly true with minorities, where there is someone on the board that can speak for minority communities which can help the police understand what can be done to improve relations with those communities, and help attempt to prevent discrimination against those communities. From what I've seen, the civilian oversight board, in a city I lived in, helped a lot in making the police more accepted in minority communities, even making them feel they could get help from the police when needed.

 

[SimplyMe]

I don't think this is a good idea. I am ignorant about my 4th amendment rights, especially on traffic stops or filming on public property. I was amazed that the police don't know the Fourth Amendment and use their badge as supreme authority. My son used his rights on a search (learned on YouTube) in a Walmart parking lot. We need civilian oversight over the government.

Just a note; be very careful about what you learn about "rights" on YouTube. While there are some good channels -- particularly ones where lawyers will talk about rights, there are a lot run by people that just don't know what they are talking about. And some are even run by people caught up in "conspiracy theories" (such as the various Sovereign Citizen channels such as American State Nationals and the Moorish Nation).

Another issue with this is the differences in state law: such as what kind of ID laws your state may have. In some states, you are required, if stopped, to identify yourself and failure to identify is a crime. As such, if you watch a YouTube video from a state where they don't have those laws but live in a state where you are required to ID, that can get you in trouble (arrested) relatively quickly.

This does seem to be an area where our education system needs to do a better job of educating our youth (likely in high school, though it would also be good in adult continuing education classes) of their rights, and both when and how to properly assert their rights.

 

[BPPLEE]

If there’s a problem with them, why not set guidelines instead of abolishing them?

I think my first post pretty much covered my thoughts about that

 

[Laodicean60]

(such as the various Sovereign Citizen channels such as American State Nationals and the Moorish Nation).

No, I don't watch any of this stuff. I watched Audit the Audit, The Police Control, and Lackluster and these people filmed their interactions with cops.

Another issue with this is the differences in state law: such as what kind of ID laws your state may have. In some states, you are required, if stopped, to identify yourself and failure to identify is a crime. As such, if you watch a YouTube video from a state where they don't have those laws but live in a state where you are required to ID, that can get you in trouble (arrested) relatively quickly.

This is a fact and the lawyers and ex-cops on those videos explain this clearly.

This does seem to be an area where our education system needs to do a better job of educating our youth (likely in high school, though it would also be good in adult continuing education classes) of their rights, and both when and how to properly assert their rights.

The funny thing my son educated me because Medical Marijuana is legal in New Mexico and I frequently travel to El Paso Texas where it's not. I rarely question cops. Thank you for your advice.

 

[Ana the Ist]

I don't think this is a good idea. I am ignorant about my 4th amendment rights, especially on traffic stops or filming on public property. I was amazed that the police don't know the Fourth Amendment and use their badge as supreme authority. My son used his rights on a search (learned on YouTube) in a Walmart parking lot. We need civilian oversight over the government.

For?

 

[Ana the Ist]

I'm fully against this action by Florida. I might support it if they created requirements to serve on a board but, in my experience, civilian oversight boards are needed.

For what exactly? Do they have some sort of authority or something?

My issue is that, from my limited experience, the civilian oversight is needed to help prevent "corruption" -- particularly where police oversight, led by officers, tend to often "protect their own."

We've had record whistleblowers in this administration....really, more than I can count. They get smeared and dismissed by the media and left.

People don't report corruption because people don't care.

From what I've seen, the civilian oversight board, in a city I lived in, helped a lot in making the police more accepted in minority communities, even making them feel they could get help from the police when needed.

I've seen no real point to a civilian oversight board.

Without any authority, it just seems like pointless scrutiny.

 

[Laodicean60]

For?

To ensure police don't abuse their power.

 

[Ana the Ist]

To ensure police don't abuse their power.

That doesn't really seem related....

It's my understanding that they don't actually have any authority in Florida.

 

[Laodicean60]

It's my understanding that they don't actually have any authority in Florida.

I get you but they have a voice. Police sometimes overstep their authority. Then you have the law to judge them.

 

[SimplyMe]

For what exactly? Do they have some sort of authority or something?

I can't say what authority they have in Florida, if they have no authority I find that a mistake by Florida. In other areas I have lived the oversight board has had some authority.

We've had record whistleblowers in this administration....really, more than I can count. They get smeared and dismissed by the media and left.

People don't report corruption because people don't care.

Really, where did you find the stats to show "record whistleblowers in this administration." And funny how right wing media didn't want to talk about most of the whistleblowers under Trump, particularly when Trump fired various Inspector Generals for investigating complaints made by whistleblowers. It appears people only care with it is "the other side" that has complaints against them.

I've seen no real point to a civilian oversight board.

Without any authority, it just seems like pointless scrutiny.

Again, Florida must have seen a point or they would not have had them prior to this. I'll agree that they need to have some amount of authority -- and it is possible that the state law did not give authority and left it to local law to decide what authority to give them. Regardless, my experience is that civilian oversight board play a very worthwhile function, particularly when given power to work on issues found within the police department.