POLICE; DUTY TO INTERVENE S.B. 480:
SUMMARY OF INTRODUCED BILL
IN COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 480 (as introduced 5-25-21)
Committee: Judiciary and Public Safety
CONTENT
The bill would enact the "Law Enforcement Duty to Intervene Act" to require each law enforcement agency in the State to develop a written duty to intervene policy.
Specifically, beginning July 1, 2022, each law enforcement agency in the State would have to develop a written duty to intervene policy. The policy would have to include, at minimum, both of the following:
-- A law enforcement officer in the employ of a law enforcement agency would have an affirmative duty to intervene verbally or physically to prevent an observed use of excessive force by another law enforcement officer.
-- A law enforcement agency would have to take appropriate disciplinary actions against a law enforcement officer who observed the use of excessive force by another law enforcement officer and failed to intervene.
Each law enforcement agency in the State would have to provide a copy of the written policy to intervene to a law enforcement officer in its employ.
"Law enforcement agency" and "law enforcement officer" would mean those terms as defined in the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards Act.
Legislative Analyst: Stephen Jackson
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have a minimal fiscal impact on State and local law enforcement. The bill would require law enforcement agencies to develop and enforce intervention policies, which could result in additional investigations for the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and in-house training by State and local law enforcement agencies.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.