Police Chiefs Urge Veto of Bill Making Officer Names Secret

Arizona's largest newspaper and the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police have sent letters to Gov. Doug Ducey urging him to veto a bill requiring police to keep the names of officers involved in shootings secret for two months.

Arizona's largest newspaper and the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police have sent letters to Gov. Doug Ducey urging him to veto a bill requiring police to keep the names of officers involved in shootings secret for two months, reports the Associated Press.

A lawyer for The Arizona Republic and the chiefs' group both said the waiting period isn't needed because current law allows agencies to withhold names if an officer's safety could be at risk.

More importantly to some, Republic attorney David Bodney said the way an amendment was crafted either intentionally or unintentionally would shield any officer's name in any disciplinary report or action forever. "Simply put, this provision represents either a colossal drafting error or a surreptitious effort to gut the transparency of the law enforcement disciplinary process," Bodney wrote.

Related:

Arizona Bill Would Delay Disclosure of Names of Officers in Shootings

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