NAACP pushes Beshear to provide civilian oversight of police misconduct
The Kentucky NAACP called on Gov. Andy Beshear Wednesday to issue an emergency executive order to allow civilians to oversee misconduct investigations of police officers.
Marcus D. Ray, president of the state NAACP, and Adrian D. Wallace, chairman of the group’s political action committee, signed a resolution asking Beshear to override sections of state law that stop local governments from appointing civilians to oversee police officer misconduct.
State law — KRS 15.520 — sets guidelines for hearing complaints of misconduct against an officer. It says hearings are to be conducted by the officer’s appointing authority but does not mention civilians.
Some police unions across the nation have been resistant to civilian oversight. No one with the Lexington Fraternal Order of Police could be immediately reached Wednesday for comment.
Ray and Wallace said they are pushing for independent oversight of police misconduct in addition to other reforms to impose stricter police accountability.
They mentioned in a news release limiting the use of force, eliminating racial profiling, “de-militarizing” law enforcement, enhanced tracking and reporting data, and ensuring proper screening, education and training of all police officers.
“Local law enforcement agencies receive federal funding and must be made to comply with federal civil rights laws,” they said.
They said their calls for police reform are in response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and the recent killings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Louisville.
“The nationwide protests represent the anger, pain, fear and distrust directed toward law enforcement resulting from decades of brutality against African Americans,” the NAACP leaders said.
Beshear spokesman Sebastian Kitchen said the governor’s office is reviewing the request and researching the “relevant legal authority.”
“Gov. Beshear is implementing additional training and education at the Department of Criminal Justice Training, and said no-knock warrants should be limited, if not eliminated, and is open to additional steps to create a more equitable, just and inclusive commonwealth,” he said.
Earlier this week, Beshear announced more training for police officers, including development of a new eight-hour online training course to emphasize implicit bias, use of force and civil rights laws. He also promised health insurance coverage for all black Kentuckians, though he has offered no specific plan to accomplish that goal.
This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 12:14 PM.
