Discouragingly, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed into law Senate Bill 647 that hinders oversight and accountability of police officers in the state.
It was just one of the many bills she signed Friday, and I, and every news agency, was hoping she would see the harm that would come with signing this foul shield law and veto it. The bill shields police statements made in internal investigations from ever being made public. This law will keep the public from knowing what officers being investigated have said and could possibly be used to cover up police wrongdoing, and it will be just another loophole the government can hide behind to deny the public information.
With the passage of this law, a cashier at Wal-Mart is more accountable than a government agent who has the power to legal kill you and take your freedom away.
The Lansing State Journal said it best when it said “Americans have the constitutional right against self-incrimination. But it doesn't apply to their jobs. If an employer suspects that there is theft in the company, it has the right to summon its workers and investigate. Employees refusing to cooperate can be dismissed. They have no special right to refuse questions about wrongdoing. Why are police officers different?”
Good question. Lets just hope there is never any wrongdoing by any police officer or agency in Michigan, or other government agencies don’t decide they need a similar law to shield them from any possible embarrassing activity from ever reaching the public.
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