HB 1250

Abstract

Community Policing Act; data collection and reporting requirement. Prohibits law-enforcement officers and State Police officers from engaging in bias-based profiling, defined in the bill, in the performance of their official duties. The bill directs the Department of State Police (the Department) to create the Community Policing Reporting Database into which sheriffs, police forces, and State Police officers report certain data pertaining to motor vehicle or investigatory stops. The Department is directed to provide access to the database to the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) for the purpose of analyzing motor vehicle and investigatory stops and records of complaints alleging the use of excessive force. The data analysis shall be used to determine the existence and prevalence of the practice of bias-based profiling and the prevalence of complaints alleging the use of excessive force. The bill requires that each time a local law-enforcement officer or State Police officer stops a driver of a motor vehicle the officer collect the following data based on the officer's observation or information provided to the officer by the driver: (i) the race, ethnicity, age, and gender of the person stopped; (ii) the reason for the stop; (iii) the location of the stop; (iv) whether a warning, written citation, or summons was issued or whether any persons were arrested; (v) if a warning, written citation, or summons was issued or an arrest was made, the warning provided, violation charged, or crime charged; and (vi) whether the vehicle or any person was searched. The bill requires each state and local law-enforcement agency to also collect and report to the State Police the number of complaints the agency receives alleging the use of excessive force. The bill also requires the Director of DCJS to annually report the findings and recommendations resulting from the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data from the Database to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Attorney General beginning July 1, 2021. The report shall include information regarding any state or local law-enforcement agency that has failed or refused to report the required data. A copy of the report shall be provided to each attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which a reporting law-enforcement agency is located.

Community Policing Act; data collection and reportingrequirement. Prohibits law-enforcement officers and State Police officersfrom engaging in bias-based profiling, defined in the bill, in the performanceof their official duties. The bill directs the Department of State Police tocreate the Community Policing Reporting Database into which sheriffs, policeforces, and State Police officers report certain data pertaining to motorvehicle or investigatory stops. The Department is directed to use the databaseto collect and analyze motor vehicle and investigatory stops and records ofcomplaints alleging the use of excessive force. The data analysis shall be usedto determine the existence and prevalence of the practice of bias-basedprofiling and the prevalence of complaints alleging the use of excessive force.The bill requires that each time a local law-enforcement officer or StatePolice officer stops a driver of a motor vehicle the officer collect thefollowing data: (i) the race, ethnicity, age, and gender of the person stopped;(ii) the reason for the stop; (iii) the location of the stop; (iv) whether awarning, written citation, or summons was issued or whether any persons werearrested; (v) if a warning, written citation, or summons was issued or anarrest was made, the warning provided, violation charged, or crime charged; and(vi) whether the vehicle or any person was searched. Each state and locallaw-enforcement agency shall also collect and report to the State Police thenumber of complaints the agency receives alleging the use of excessive force.The Superintendent of State Police shall annually report the findings andrecommendations resulting from the collection, analysis, and interpretation ofthe data from the Database to the Governor, the General Assembly, and theAttorney General beginning July 1, 2021. The report shall include informationregarding any state or local law-enforcement agency that has failed or refusedto report the required data to the Department of State Police. A copy of thereport shall be provided to each attorney for the Commonwealth of the county orcity in which a reporting law-enforcement agency is located.