Less than two months before lawmakers return to Dover, civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton rallied with supporters of legislation to make police disciplinary records public.
The group met outside Legislative Hall in Dover to call for the General Assembly to approve the police reform legislation that would also allow for the creation of community advisory boards to examine incidents of police misconduct.
“When you do not have oversight of police by the community, you have the overlooking of justice by law enforcement that breaks the law,” Sharpton said. “This is the First State. We ought to set a national example of police accountability and appropriate police behavior. If it starts in the First State, it helps us nationwide.”
SB 149 was one of several police reform bills not to get approved in this year’s legislative session. The bill was voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in mid-June and is waiting for action in the Senate.
The bill would eliminate the confidentiality clause in Delaware’s Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. That clause keeps police misconduct records secret to almost everyone, including criminal defense attorneys, the media, and the public.
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Rev. Sharpton pushes for Delaware police accountability bill in Dover rally
