Just three weeks into the legislative session, the Rhode Island Senate unanimously backed a bill to reform the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights. (Getty image)
How best to review police officers facing misconduct charges and handle any disciplinary actions is a complicated question that has stymied state lawmakers for three years running.
The hourslong, impassioned debates of prior legislative sessions were a stark contrast to the swift and decisive approval with which the Rhode Island Senate unanimously backed a reform bill on Thursday, a mere three weeks into the legislative session.
But even with the clear message sent by the Senate’s 35-0 vote, the proposed changes to the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights still need to win approval in the House, where three alternatives remain under review — none of which match the approved Senate version. Three senators did not cast votes on the bill.
It’s a big “if,” especially since the House’s failure to act on the very same Senate proposal spelled its end in the 2023 session.