- Thursday, June 25th, 2020
Charleston and North Charleston police chiefs say reform bill is a good step
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – Lowcountry police chiefs say a proposed bill to reform police departments Is a good step. The bill, proposed by Sen. Tim Scott, is designed to make police departments more accountable.
The legislation was sparked by the killings of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville by police officers who are now facing murder charges.
Both Charleston Police Chief Luther Reynolds and North Charleston Police Chief Reggie Burgess reviewed Scott’s bill.
Both support it.
“It’s going to make policing better which is what I think is what people are trying for,” Reynolds said Thursday. “I think people are trying for accountability, for transparency and for a better outcome.”
“There’s some things in there now we’re already doing,” Burgess said. “There’s some things that we can look at to say ‘Hey, we can be better than that.‘”
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The proposed legislation would provide federal finding to buy the body cameras and track storage and data.
“When you want to have a good robust storage program and an auditing program, not just the cameras themselves, there’s a lot that goes into that,” Reynolds said.
Both chiefs say if Scott’s bill becomes law, it will result in positive change for police departments.
“Anything that we can find that could make us better is worth it,” Burgess said.
Full article here.