Michigan House Democrats Propose Sweeping Police Reform Bills: What You Need to Know

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Written By Blue & Gold NLR Team

 

 

Michigan House Democrats have proposed a series of police reform bills aimed at establishing uniform law enforcement standards across the state, particularly regarding the use of force.

One of the proposed bills would require police departments to develop their own use-of-force policies, including when to use physical or deadly force versus issuing a verbal warning.

Robert Stevenson, Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, expressed that he doesn’t see a strong need for the bill but noted that his group could support it with some minor adjustments. He suggested clarifying that chokeholds should be considered lethal force in the bill.

Other bills in the package would require officers to intervene if they witness excessive force by another officer and introduce stricter rules for search warrants.

One bill would allow “no-knock” warrants in specific situations, such as when a life is at risk, a person knows law enforcement is present, or if announcing police presence would jeopardize an investigation. Stevenson explained this would be a shift from Michigan’s current law, which mandates police to always knock and announce their presence.

Stevenson’s group supports the proposed changes but calls for more precise wording, like distinguishing between refusing and not granting entry.

The legislation faces a challenging path ahead, needing to pass through the committee process and both legislative chambers within 10 session days to reach the governor for approval.

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