A Providence State Rep is proposing changes to the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights.
Jose Battista of Providence would allow police chiefs to hand out discipline when needed instead of waiting months for a hearing.
“The current LEOBOR statute in Rhode Island provides police officers accused of misconduct with ‘supersized’ due process rights. Indeed, only seven states in the nation offer police officers a hearing prior to issuing discipline; only four states compose a hearing board made up entirely of police officers. Only two states allow the accused officer to actually pick one of the officers on the panel as well. The current Rhode Island LEOBOR statute provides all of the above and more. Therefore, this bill maintains all due process owed to police officers by labor law while also repealing those provisions of LEOBOR that go above and beyond what is required by law such that they serve as obstacles to accountability,” said Representative Batista.
Then the current board overseeing the law would serve as an appeals board - rather than one that hands out discipline.
(Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
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