Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed legislation to make it illegal for police officers to submit false statements in law enforcement records.
It’s in response to last year’s traffic stop reporting scandal.
“Last year’s events at the Connecticut State Police highlighted gaps in reporting of police activity, especially regarding traffic stops, emphasizing a need for greater transparency within the department,” the bill’s fact sheet reads.
The proposal would make intentional misreporting a Class D Felony for law enforcement officers.
It is already illegal for members of the general public to submit a false statement in a law enforcement record.
David McGuire, Connecticut ACLU's director, said most of the state’s residents would be surprised to find out that submitting a false report as an officer wasn’t already illegal.
“It's been over 20 years that police have to submit racial profiling data in Connecticut, and the fact that we're still dealing with compliance issues, whether they're intentional or unintentional — it's a huge problem,” McGuire said.
The bill would also require criminal conduct to be reported to the chief state’s attorney.
“While it is a clear violation of professional and ethical standards for a police officer to submit a false report, our laws do not currently make it clear that this intentional subversion of the public trust is a crime,” the fact sheet said.
McGuire said the legislation is a good start, but intentional misreporting isn’t the only problem.
“The reality is, the report flagged inattention and carelessness as a major issue that led to the over-reporting,” McGuire said. “And that's something that has to be directly dealt with. And we believe legislation is necessary to make sure that this never happens again.”
Ronnell Higgins, director of the Department of Emergency Services, said he supports the legislation.
“Transparency, integrity, and accountability are a priority of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection,” Higgins said in a statement to WSHU. “We are learning from this experience and support Gov. Lamont’s response. This legislation addresses a current gap in the law and demonstrates to our citizenry the importance of our racial profiling law.”
The bill has been referred to the Joint Committee on Judiciary.
