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Law Enforcement Accountability Task Force releases preliminary report

Sophia Schmidt
/
Delaware Public Media

The state’s Law Enforcement Accountability Task Force released its preliminary report.

 

The preliminary report outlines many potential avenues the task force looks to present to the General Assembly later this year.

 

Attorney General Kathy Jennings says multiple subcommittees discovered similar areas of concern.

 

“Some of our recommendations overlap and correspond, which is a good thing, with the recommendations from other subcommittees," said Jennings. "We’re going to focus as well go forward on narrowing down these recommendations and try to come to consensus on a greater degree of detail.”

 

Jennings heads the Use of Force subcommittee.  It’s recommendations include standardizing the state’s use of force standards and reporting, expanding the DOJ’s Division of Civil Rights and requiring statewide use of body cameras.

 

Patrick Ogden, chairman of the Police Chiefs Council and chief of the University of Delaware Police says he’s excited for these changes.

 

“As police chiefs we need to evolve and continue to improve and as RL said there’s no endgame in this — years from now policing’s going to continue to evolve and we wanna be a part of the change and improve with it,” said Odgen.

 

Subcommittee recommendations were wide-ranging  - encompassing everything from increased officer training to improving senior law enforcement diversity and taking a look at the Police Officers Bill of Rights.

 

The various subcommittees are working to finalize recommendations to be included in the task force’s final report over the coming months.

 

Task Force Co-chair Rep. Franklin Cooke (D-New Castle) says he hopes the group can deliver bills for lawmakers to consider later this year.

Roman Battaglia grew up in Portland, Ore, and now reports for Delaware Public Media as a Report For America corps member. He focuses on politics, elections and legislation activity at the local, county and state levels.
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