House Bill 1531
CLOSING THE POLICE MISCONDUCT LOOPHOLE
House Bill 1531 Bill Information
Description: HB 1531 would provide for the maintenance of records and hiring reports related to law enforcement background investigations and employment information. HB 1531 would: (1) impose penalties on law enforcement agencies that fail to comply with the requirements, including ineligibility for state funding and grants; (2) require public notice prior to hiring a law enforcement officer with certain disciplinary or criminal history; and (3) establish an electronic database for the commission to track and report on hiring practices within the law enforcement agencies.
PA Justice Alliance Member Positions & Feedback
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Following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, the creation of a police misconduct database was one of the few police reform bills enacted in Pennsylvania. While an important first step forward, a loophole in the 2020 law made it difficult to meaningfully prevent problematic police officers from being passed from department to department, with no way for those agencies to access—or even know about—an officer's previous record(s) of misconduct before being hired.
HB 1531 would close this loophole and ensure that this vital database provides Pennsylvania communities with the kind of transparency, accountability, and compliance they deserve from law enforcement.
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Long overdue, this legislation requires greater transparency in the hiring of law enforcement officers by putting teeth into Title 44, Section 73, relating to law enforcement background investigations and employment information. Specifically, law enforcement agencies that fail to put “relevant separation records” into an electronic database will lose state funding for equipment, hiring, and overtime expenses. […]
HB 1531 would ensure greater transparency and accountability in the hiring process to, hopefully, protect communities from applicants with a history of serious misconduct.
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