Here’s What’s In Michigan’s New Police Reform Bill

Find out what's in the new police reform bill and what the next step is below.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is supporting a bill that is scheduled to be heard by a Senate Committee early this morning (Friday, June 5th.)

Here are the actions Governor Whitmer is taking as part of her plan for police reform and racial equity according to Michigan.gov,

• Requesting that the Michigan Commission of Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) provide guidance to law enforcement agencies on continuing education that will help officers keep up with the everchanging landscape of new laws and issues facing the community, including diversity and implicit bias training.
• Encouraging police departments to participate in efforts that are underway on comprehensive reporting on the use of force by police departments.
• Urging law enforcement agencies to implement duty to intervene polices.
  • The governor applauded Southfield Police Chief Elvin Barren and Lansing Police Chief Daryl Green for their efforts in ensuring their officers intervene when an officer observes another officer doing something inappropriate or illegal.
• Calling on the Legislature to act on SB 945.
  • Under Senator Irwin’s bill, SB 945, incoming law enforcement officers would be required by law to go through training on implicit bias, de-escalation techniques, and mental health screenings.

This comes after nearly a week of protests all over Michigan and the United States following the brutal incident that went viral in Minneapolis on May 25th which resulted in the death of an unarmed human being named George Floyd.