PHOENIX (AP) – Arizona lawmakers thought they were doing police a favor when they passed a measure that would keep secret for two months the name of any officer involved in an on-duty shooting.
But police chiefs say the proposal would serve only to hamper their ability to manage complex police-community relations, and they are asking the governor to veto the measure. Civil-rights groups and community activists also want to see the bill rejected, saying that adding another layer of secrecy will only deepen the divide between law enforcement and some segments of the public, especially in minority communities.
“There’s already laws that protect officers, so there is no need for any additional laws,” Warren Stewart Jr., pastor at the Church of the Remnant in heavily minority south Phoenix, said Friday.
Police unions support the measure that is on Gov. Doug Ducey’s desk, calling it a common-sense idea based strictly on safety.
The bill does not preclude “the community’s right and desire to know what their police department is doing,” said Joe Clure, president of the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association.