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Bills Would Require Police Departments To Share Personnel Information

State Capitol - file photo
Melissa Benmark
/
WKAR

(MPRN-Lansing) A Republican state lawmaker says police officers who are guilty of misconduct should not be allowed to resign and hide their records from future employers. 

State Senator Rick Jones says that happens because police departments don’t have to share that information with each other. He’s sponsored a bill that would require police departments to reveal if an officer quit to avoid disciplinary action.

“Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of officers are hard-working men and women who put their lives on the line every day, but when you get a bad one, you don’t want them hopping to another department.”

Jones’ bill would also shield police departments from lawsuits for revealing information from an officer’s personnel files. He chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee and plans hearings on the bill this fall.

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