Nov. 17, 2015
HARRISBURG—Legislation sponsored by Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia) to protect police officers and their families when the officer is involved in a discharge of their firearm or other use of force has passed the House.
“This is an appropriate step forward in protecting the identities of police officers until they are either charged with an offense or cleared and any threats against the officer or their families have dissipated,” White said.
House bill 1538, which is supported by local Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 and the state FOP, would delay police departments from releasing the names of officers involved in violent confrontations while an investigation is ongoing. Public officials would be able to release the identifications once the investigation is complete, and criminal charges have been filed or the life of the officer and his or her family members are deemed no longer in danger.
“As we’ve seen across the country, shootings involving police officers have become so politically charged that the officers’ lives and their families can be endangered even if the use of force was justified,” White said. “While we need transparency whenever police are involved in a shooting, we owe our officers basic protection from threats. My bill offers a way to protect them until the facts come out. I want to protect the good officers from being tried in public, while making sure those who break the law are tried in court.”
The bill now moves to the Senate.
Representative Martina White
170th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: David Foster
267.207.0207
dfoster@pahousegop.com
RepWhite.com /
facebook.com/RepMartinaWhite