Conservative Push-Back to Policing Reforms Gains Traction
Despite states collectively approving nearly 300 police reform bills after George Floyd’s killing, in states like Washington, Virginia, Nevada and Mississippi, new reform ballots have all been voted down
Landwebs
During the 2022 legislative session, Democrats states around the country were unable to overcome Republican opposition to proposed policing reforms, slowing a torrent of legislation that was prompted by the killing of George Floyd in 2020, report Denise Lavoie, Tatyana Monnay, and Juliette Rihl for the Associated Press. Despite states collectively approving nearly 300 police reform bills after Floyd’s killing, in states like Washington, Virginia, Nevada and Mississippi, ballots to replace police departments with public safety units, further limits on “no-knock” warrants, and increase restrictions on use-of-force, have all been voted down.
Police officials are calling such reforms a waste of time, creating obstacles for even paired-down reforms that still have no clear enforcement mechanisms. Meanwhile, no state agency is charged with tracking whether departments have updated their use-of-force policies as many expect 2023 to be even worse. “Any good the reforms that were in place did, they are going to try to undo in 2023,” said the sister of a Black man fatally shot by Washington police in 2019. “They are trying to roll back every gain that was made.”
