WPPA Addresses Plans for Reform

September 2, 2020

Following the death of George Floyd in May, a wide variety of legislative proposals and reforms related to policing have been introduced at every level of government, and they have ranged from reckless to reasonable in nature. While lawmakers do not appear poised to act on these measures immediately, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has established a task force to examine issues related to policing in order to recommend legislation for the 2021-2022 session of the state legislature.
  
Far too many law enforcement critics falsely suggest that the police and police unions are the problem, when we know that nothing could be further from the truth. As part of a strategic effort to get ahead of these developments and to ensure our organization's ability to not only influence the public policy debate that currently surrounds policing but also protect against any legislative measures that might compromise public safety and officer safety, the WPPA today released a comprehensive series of detailed proposals that we believe would benefit the public and law enforcement alike.
  
Entitled, A Blueprint for Change, the proposals put out today by the WPPA largely consist of measures that we have supported in the past. The WPPA's proposals are broken down into one of four categories: Training & Standards, Oversight & Accountability, Community Engagement & Innovation, and Officer Wellness, and we believe our assertive actions to put these out puts us in a better position to drive the public dialogue on policing, rather than having to constantly respond to it.
 
As a result of our efforts, we are pleased to inform you we have already been asked to serve on the police reform task force. This puts the WPPA in the best possible position to protect you from ill-conceived law changes that will make your jobs more difficult and dangerous.

As you are able, we encourage you to review the WPPA’s proposals. To the extent that you or a fellow member has any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We otherwise hope that this finds you well, and that you stay safe and healthy during this crazy time in our history.