Pennsylvania lawmakers have made “history” by passing a bill which protects the identities of police officers who shoot people “for whatever reason”. That’s a licence to kill and also a warning to citizens that “the police may not be your friend after all”.
Pennsylvania’s recent bill reminds us of the strained relationship between the general public, especially blacks, and the police – or anyone with a badge and a gun.
“To protect and serve”, they say, is their motto. But now it’s clear that “Black Lives Matter” campaign means nothing of worth to Pennsylvania lawmakers who chose to place top priority on police officers’ identity rather than the lives of some innocent citizens who are being executed like criminals.
There are wide speculations that for the minorities, “guilty until proven innocent” is the term. And the lawmakers in Pennsylvania just don’t care.
Philly.com is reporting that state lawmakers have passed a bill that will prevent public officials from immediately releasing the names of police officers involved in lethal and non-lethal shootings to the public.
“We are the protectors of our protectors,” said, Rep. Dominic Costa.
Costa, who gave full support to the bill, is a Pittsburgh Democrat, according to the report.
The majority of lawmakers who voted in support of the bill claim they did so in order to protect the families of those police officers from potential harm, after the shootings or during investigations.
According to Philly.com, this is what you should know about the new law:
Current law lets local officials determine when to identify an officer who has used force. Under the bill, public officials would be barred from releasing the name of an officer involved in a shooting until 30 days after the incident, or after an official investigation into it ends.
Anyone who violates the gag could be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor. The state Attorney General’s Office and district attorney’s offices would be exempt.
The law would supercede current policy in Philadelphia, where the police department typically discloses names of officers involved in shootings within 72 hours after the incident – if there are no credible threats to those officers.
