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03/28/2024 08:20 PM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20210&cosponId=34607
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Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: February 9, 2021 11:10 AM
From: Senator Jay Costa
To: All Senate members
Subject: Law Enforcement Use of Force Accountability Policy
 
In the Commonwealth, we have a glaring information gap when it comes to understanding how often law enforcement officers are dispatching their duties through use of force, as well as the outcomes of those engagements.  My legislation would increase the accountability for uses of force by officers by requiring an aggregated, clear, and delineated accounting of how they are interacting with the public.
 
I will introduce legislation that would create use of force recordkeeping and reporting requirements for all law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in the Commonwealth.  This legislation would be identical to last session’s SB 459, PN 1817, which passed the Senate by unanimous vote.
 
Specifically, the legislation would require LEAs to provide records regarding all use of force incidents by a law enforcement officer to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).  The information required to be submitted in those reports include:
  • Reasons for the use of force;
  • Personal injuries;
  • Property damage;
  • Deaths; and
  • Suspect information, including statutory violations and the apprehension status of the suspect.
 
In addition, the legislation would require the PSP to provide an annual report from the LEA-provided data described above.  The report would be provided to the Office of Attorney General, the Senate Law and Justice and Judiciary Committees, and the Judiciary Committee in the House of Representatives.
 
The annual PSP reports must include:
  • Statewide aggregates of information collected from the LEA use of force records;
  • The total number and percentage of use of force incidents;
  • The total number and percentage of use of force incidents resulting in serious bodily injury; and
  • The total number and percentage of use of force incidents resulting in death.
The first PSP report is required to be submitted after the first full calendar year of LEA use of force data collection.
 
Please join me in providing an additional level of accountability to our law enforcement agencies by co-sponsoring this legislation.