FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
PHOENIX – Today, Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed SB 1445, a bill that would have required law enforcement agencies to conceal police officers’ identities for months following their involvement in violent or deadly incidents.
The following is a statement from ACLU of Arizona Executive Director Alessandra Soler regarding this proposal’s dismissal by the governor:
“Governor Ducey has lived up to his promise to hear the concerns of the community regarding SB 1445, and we want to both thank the Governor and praise him for his openness in directly accepting public feedback concerning this misguided and harmful piece of legislation. We also want to thank the members of the Gov. Ducey’s staff who, last week, graciously accepted the ACLU’s letter opposing SB 1445, signed by more than three-dozen community leaders and local, statewide and national organizations, along with a petition calling for the veto of SB 1445 signed by over 2,500 concerned Arizonans and others from around the country.
“We are grateful that Gov. Ducey considered the dangerous ramifications of this bill, for both law enforcement and the public. This proposal would have taken Arizona in the wrong direction, by exacerbating distrust between communities and the public safety officers responsible for protecting them, while at the same time eroding the transparency that is critical to our democracy.
“We appreciate Gov. Ducey vetoing SB 1445 and working to heal the rifts that exist between our communities and local law enforcement. His leadership will help build trust and assure the greatest possible safety and security for both our law enforcement officers and our citizens.”
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