DELAWARE--A police-involved shooting in Dewey Beach over the weekend has caused the ACLU of Delaware to no longer support Senate Bill 149--a law enforcement bill that would create more transparency and hold police officers accountable for their actions.
SB 149 was originally introduced in May 2021 in hopes of improving trust between police agencies and communities they serve. On Tuesday, community members told WRDE News the substitute bill breaks lawmakers' own promises.
Under the original proposal, law-enforcement disciplinary records were to be public records, and the bill would have enabled the creation of community review boards at the state, county and municipal levels. The substitute bill introduced on Monday, changed all of that.
"Where we're starting from in our state right now, is, you know, a pretty severe lack of transparency when it comes to this issue," said Sen. Elizabeth Lockman, the prime sponsor of the bill. "To think we can sort of flip the switch to go all the way from there, to, you know, a very pure ideal, unfortunately is just not where we are."
Sen. Lockman said it has been two years in the making, and back in June of 2021, the bill did not get enough votes to pass as it stood; which is why Lockman said changes needed to be made.
"Right in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in the spring of 2020, obviously, we were in the throws of the early days of the pandemic but you know, there was such significant outcry and interest for us to take a look at a number of issues related to the way that policing happened, particularly in our disadvantaged communities," she said.
The ACLU of Delaware took to social media Monday to blast Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 149.
Haneef Salaam, ACLU of Delaware’s Campaign for Smart Justice manager, issued a statement on behalf of the organization acknowledging the timing; the substitute bill being introduced right after the Dewey Beach shooting, which occurred early Saturday morning.
"...in the wake of Rodney K. Robinson II being killed by a Dewey Beach police officer —just the most recent in a long line of Delaware police-involved shootings — we cannot and will not support legislation that will only give our communities a mere mirage of transparency and accountability," read the statement on the organizations' Instagram account.
Salaam said it's an example of why this substitute bill will not make much of a difference in terms of creating a healthier, transparent relationship between law enforcement agencies and the community--knowing it essentially protects police officers and their track history.
"The new version of the bill takes community oversight out of the hands of the community by creating just one statewide oversight board that is overseen by the state's top law enforcement official, leaving local boards without any meaningful oversight," Salaam said. "I think it's important to note that our lawmakers are elected to represent us and police are hired to protect us, both of them are paid with our taxpayer dollars so why are the voices of the community and the constituents not being taken into consideration?"
Sen. Lockman said she hopes the new bill will get to the Senate floor before the end of the current session.