A Wink of the Eye to a local legislator who is trying to ensure bad public policy is not spread in Florida. State Rep. Wyman Duggan’s bill would preclude the use of citizen review boards by local governments.
House Bill 601 would make it “unlawful for a county, municipality, special district, or other political subdivision 20 of the state to pass or enforce any ordinance, resolution, or 21 rule relating to the receipt, processing, or investigation of complaints of misconduct by law enforcement officers and correctional officers, except as otherwise expressly provided in this part, or to pass or enforce any ordinance, resolution, or rule relating to civilian oversight of a law enforcement agency in relation to the investigation of complaints of misconduct by law enforcement officers and correctional officers.”
Citizen review boards accomplish nothing and serve mainly as a platform for liberal activists to criticize police work.
They already have the means to do that. The liberal media always is on hand to demand “justice” every time some thug is killed while trying to shoot a police officer.
Pro-criminal liberals want to keep criminals on the streets as much as possible despite the cost in lives and property. They especially are perturbed when criminals with black skin commit more crimes and are sent to prison or killed.
But citizen review boards have been spectacularly ineffective in revealing any injustice.
Liberal Democrats support such boards, but Democrat Mayor Donna Deegan has voiced only limited support. She has said she would not support one in Jacksonville unless it had the backing of the sheriff and state attorney, both of which are opposed.
Both the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office investigate any shooting by the police thoroughly and in the rare occasions where it is warranted, police officers have been fired and/or arrested. Civil remedies also are available.
Liberals supporting the idea cite a poorly done study by a liberal professor at the University of Florida. It contains no evidence that the public would benefit from citizen review boards.
The primary conclusion is that cities with review boards have fewer arrests of people with black skin. How does that benefit the public and what does it have to do with justice?
It then falls back on the often-made claim that it would improve citizen “confidence” in the police. There is nothing presented to support that off-the-wall claim.
In additional to preventing criminals from being arrested, liberals also seek to keep them from being prosecuted or imprisoned, heightening the danger to the public. Socialist George Soros, a billionaire who is willing to spend a fortune to crush capitalism and America, has spent huge sums getting prosecutors elected who will not prosecute.
Government’s No. 1 job is to protect the public. Duggan’s bill would help do that.
