Two major police reform bills that passed the Delaware General Assembly in the final days of this year's legislative session have been signed into law, culminating a years-long effort to make sweeping changes to police accountability and transparency statewide.
In a room filled with legislators, law enforcement heads, police reform advocates, students and other elected officials at the Wilmington Police Athletic League Monday afternoon, Gov. John Carney signed the two bills: House Bill 205 and 206.
The legislation, which passed the Senate on the final day of the legislative session, establishes local police accountability boards, creates uniform standards for police agencies across the state, requires accreditation for all Delaware law enforcement agencies and mandates that agencies publish information about internal investigations into use-of-force and certain other substantiated claims, among other requirements.
The bills are the final pieces in a series of policy reforms the Delaware Legislative Black Caucus and Attorney General Kathy Jennings first called for in June 2020, about two weeks after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.
THE BILLS, EXPLAINED:Delaware tries again to make substantive police reform. Is this time different?
They also mark a major step forward in a state that, until now, had "the most secretive law enforcement officer bill of rights in the country," Jennings said.
"These changes will greatly improve transparency...
The Justice Department’s $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, which would pay out public money in compensation for alleged overreach in federal prosecutions, including for the insurrectionist...