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Police reform bill clears Senate panel after changes
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Some three weeks after its introduction, a bill encompassing sweeping police reforms cleared its first committee hearing — but only after the sponsor made considerable changes.
Members of the Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee voted 4-3 Wednesday to move Senate Bill 227 to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Among other measures, the bill would restrict police officers’ use of physical force and require them to intercede and report when they witness excessive use of force by a colleague.
Law enforcement agencies also would have to submit a report to the state within 30 days of an incident and post the report on their website for public access. But after consulting with officials of the New Mexico branch of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Albuquerque, removed certain provisions — including prohibiting the use of tear gas, rubber bullets or dogs in certain instances.
Gone, too, is a provision requiring law enforcement officers to wait 45 seconds after knocking before entering a residence with a search warrant. But the use of chokeholds is still prohibited in the new substitute bill presented to committee members Wednesday.
When she first announced the legislation in early February, Lopez cited the death of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who was killed in police custody in Minneapolis in May, as an example of the tragic consequences of allowing police officers to cross the line. On Wednesday, she said that is an issue “not just across the nation, but here in New Mexico.” However, several people who voiced opposition to the bill during Wednesday’s hearing said it does not take into account what police officers go through when dealing with threatening or dangerous situations.