DE-WFP Statement on SS1 for SB149

For the last two years, activists have fought for greater justice in Delaware policing. One of the main focuses of this fight has been police transparency, and we have been proud to fight for Senate Bill 149, which would amend the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (LEOBOR) to make misconduct records open to the public and allow the creation of community review boards. Delaware is one of only 14 states with a Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights on record, and recently Maryland abolished its LEOBOR entirely. The bill protects officers who abuse their power and commit acts of violence. WFP DE volunteers have knocked thousands of doors to talk to people about SB149, and public opinion is clear: Delawareans overwhelmingly want the General Assembly to pass SB149. 

However, we are deeply disappointed with the changes made to Senate Bill 149 this week. The substitute bill severely restricts public access to police misconduct records and allows the police to have complete power over which records are released by giving them the sole power to substantiate. It also completely disempowers local community review boards in favor of a DOJ-run statewide board that doesn’t even have the powers that local board had in the original bill.

We believe in a government that works for the many, not the few. When communities are cut out of the process of keeping their communities safe, our government is not working as it should be. Unfortunately, this substitute bill does not make the substantive change needed to bring real police transparency to Delaware. In fact, the changes listed above have the potential to encourage police departments to hide misconduct and cut the public out of the process entirely. For that reason, we can not support SS1 for SB149.

We call on legislators to recommit to meaningful police reform and introduce legislation that gives us true police transparency and community oversight.