For years, I have been very critical of police agencies that sweep unethical conduct under the rug for expedient, political circumstances. Letting someone resign without any record of their wrongdoing only allows bad officers to leave and work in other jurisdictions.
Officers take an oath to protect and serve and I feel leadership violates this oath when they allow an unfit officer to leave and work for another agency without proper documention of unethical conduct. This puts those communities and the officers serving with them at risk.
I have been asked to speak about this issue on many occassions. Lately, I presented a few times before the national CEO Action for Racial Equity organization. While we disagreed on a few issues, we certainly found common ground as to our concerns regarding the recycling of bad cops.
I am attaching a recent survey that digs deep into a potential, national database. It will give you some benefits and concerns to be considered. I share this, because more and more states are adopting new reporting guidlines for officers who resign pending disciplinary actions. This information is certainly valuable for any legislature or citizen wanting to explore enhancing protections for their police departments and community.
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