Gov. Evers and Legislature address police reform on same day with differing approaches

Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order Wednesday afternoon directing state law enforcement to update its use of force policies.

The order came shortly after the Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Racial Disparities subcommittee on law enforcement policies and standards came out with its recommendations. The governor’s order only binds agencies managed by the state, which are the Capitol Police, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Department of Natural Resources Division of Public Safety and Resource Protection.

In his order, Evers stated that “ensuring law enforcement use of force policies reflect community expectations is a first step toward accountability and transparency.” He also requires that officers who engage in or witness a use of force report it, and that no one who makes such a report or testifies on it in a whistleblower capacity can face firing, demotion or any other discrimination for that action.

Evers and the Republican legislative leaders have been publicly at odds over issues of policing accountability and transparency for nearly a year.

Read more: https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2021/04/23/gov-evers-and-legislature-address-police-reform-on-same-day-with-differing-approaches/