What is “An Act Concerning Police Accountability?” This is a bill in the Connecticut State legislature that will be voted on during the upcoming special session.
You can read the full draft here.
And watch an informational video about the draft here.
What can I do to help? Currently the bill is getting extreme push back from police officers and police unions. They are lobbying to make sure the bill is not passed. We need to FLOOD our representatives emails and tell them to vote YES on the police accountability bill. This call-to-action is directed towards elected officials in the Connecticut state government. These people work at the state capitol in Hartford on statewide issues. Some of these officials represent more than one town. Everyone has one state representative and one state senator which depends on your address. Email both your state representative and your state senator. You can find out who represents you at the state (and federal) level here.
State Representatives (only email the one person who represents you) Peter Tercyak, Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov Robert Sanchez, Bobby.Sanchez@cga.ct.gov Rick Lopes, Rick.Lopes@cga.ct.gov William Petit, william.petit@housegop.ct.gov
State Senator (all New Britain residents should email) Gennaro Bizzarro, Gennaro.Bizzarro@cga.ct.gov
What should I write in the email?
Here’s an email sample for you. You can send it as-is or edited it. Make sure you include your name and city. The subject of the email should be:
“An Act Concerning Police Accountability, LCO# 3471”
Dear, YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE/SENATOR
My name is [YOUR NAME HERE] and I am writing as your constituent. I am asking that you vote YES on “An Act Concerning Police Accountability, LCO# 3471” Since the tragic murder of George Floyd, grassroots activists across the country have been calling on legislators to pass law on police accountability. While I recognize the bill is not perfect, I support the bill and I believe you should too. Specifically, I support the follow components:
Granting power that allows municipalities to establish Civilian Review Boards with Subpoena powers.
Outlawing police searches without probable cause, even if the person consents to the search
Outlawing police offers from asking for any documents (such as green cards, other immigration documents) other than a driver's license from people they pull-over during traffic stops
Mandating a duty to intervene if a police officer witnesses another officer using excessive or illegal use-of-force
Ending qualified immunity for officers who violate people’s civil rights
Banning stop-and-frisk in Connecticut
The demilitarization of Connecticut police departments, including the disposal of all military equipment currently held by police departments
The requirement for police officers to prominently display their badge
I also want to highlight the components of the bill I disagree with, which include:
Increasing funding for police departments, whether municipal or state.
Possibly adding social workers to police departments. Social workers should be used for certain emergency/mental health calls but they should not work under police departments
The overrepresentation of police officers and politicians on the Police Officer Standards and Training Council. They make up 12/20 of the Council’s membership. This council should be dominated by civilians not politicians or police officers.
Ideally, you will make the necessary changes to the bill so that it truly works for the people of Connecticut. Thank you for your time and I hope you will be on the right side of history by passing this historic bill.
Best Regards,
[YOUR NAME HERE]