Members of the Rankin County “Goon Squad” who  inflicted decades of terror on residents would be among those listed in a public database of law enforcement misconduct, under proposed legislation. 

It’s one of over 300 bills relating to the criminal justice system that have been filed during the 2024 session of the Mississippi Legislature, which could affect policing, courts, jails, prisons, post-incarceration and more. 

House Bill 828 by Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, called the “Trust in Law Enforcement Act,”  would require the Department of Public Safety to create and maintain a database of officer misconduct incidents and publish it online by Jan. 1, 2025. 

That database must include information about an officer’s conduct and performance including:

• Revocation of law enforcement certification by the Board on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training and the basis of the revocation
• Termination by a law enforcement employer, unless the termination is overturned or reversed by appeal. A notation must be placed by their name during the appeal process
• Resignation or retirement while under investigation by the employing law enforcement agency, a district attorney or the attorney general’s office for an incident that could result in the officer being included in the online database 
• Resignation or retirement following an incidents that, within six months, leads to the opening of an investigation that could result in placement in the database 
• Being the subject of a criminal investigation for a crime that could result in certification revocation or suspension or filed criminal charges. The investigating agency would need to notify the Office of Standards and Training about any investigation or charges as soon as practicable. 
• Whether an officer knowingly made an untruthful statement about a material fact or knowingly omitted a fact on an official criminal justice record, while testifying under oath or during an internal affairs or administrative investigation
• Three or more failures to follow educational and training requirements by the Board on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Training or failure to complete continuing education within a consecutive 10-year period 

Multiple House members are listed as co-authors of the bill: Reps. Kabir Karriem, D-Columbus; Cheik Taylor, D-Starkville; Rickey Thompson, D-Shannon; Bo Brown, D-Jackson; Robert Sanders, D-Cleveland; Jeffrey Hulum III, D-Gulfport; Oscar Denton, D-Vicksburg; Robert Johnson III, D-Natchez; Keith Jackson, D-Preston; and Fabian Nelson, D-Byram. 

The bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B and Appropriations A committees. 

Here is a look at some of the other criminal justice bills making their way through the legislative process. 

Policing

House Bill 301 by Rep. Ronnie Crudup Jr., D-Jackson, would require police officers and sheriffs to have a less-lethal force option available to use while on duty. 

Examples of these options include but are not limited to stun guns, batons and pepper spray. 

Municipalities that employ the officers and counties that employ the sheriff and deputies would pay for the less-lethal force option through approved budgets for the police department and sheriff’s office. 

The bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B Committee. 

House Bill 61 by Kabir Karriem, D-Columbus, would require cities and counties to provide body-worn cameras to police officers and deputy sheriffs. 

Officers and sheriffs deputies would also be required to wear a body-worn camera while on patrol, or be faced with a misdemeanor with a maximum of six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000. 

The bill has been referred to the Municipalities and County Affairs committees.

Domestic violence

House Bill 842 by Rep. Cedric Burnett, D-Tunica, would establish a domestic violence fatality review team within the State Medical Examiner’s Office. 

The multi-agency and multidisciplinary team would review domestic violence-related deaths and suicides to identify potential challenges or breakdowns in interventions, safety barriers and gaps in community services, according to the Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which supports the bill. The team can help consider alternate or more effective responses to prevent future fatalities. 

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the stark reality that domestic violence is a pervasive issue in our communities. It shatters lives, breaks families, and all too often, results in tragic consequences,” MCADV Executive Director LaVerne Jackson said in a Feb. 11 statement. “The creation of such a board is not just about acknowledging the gravity of the issue but taking concrete steps towards a safer and more secure community for everyone.

The bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B Committee. 

House Bill 435 by Rep. John Hines Sr., D-Greenville, would allow courts to establish domestic abuse court programs that act similarly to existing intervention courts for drugs and mental health. 

Hines has been filing legislation to establish domestic abuse courts since as early as 2013. Last year, the bill passed the House and went to the Senate’s Judiciary B and Appropriations committees where it died – the furthest Hines’ domestic abuse courts bill has advanced to date. 

“In order to fix your problem, you have to be willing to admit that there is a problem. And nobody in the state wanted to admit there was a problem with domestic violence,” Hines has told Mississippi Today. “If you kill (the bill), we don’t have to talk about that.”

The bill has been referred to the House’s Judiciary B and Appropriations A committees.

The post Officer misconduct database among criminal justice bills before Legislature appeared first on Mississippi Today.