BE HEARD BY THE AG

This sampling of constructive comments offered in the Facebook conversation is representative of the suggestions that fellow Ohioans are recommending in the way of law enforcement reform. Not every idea or comment is included here, nor should an idea’s inclusion be viewed as an endorsement (or its omission a rejection) by the attorney general. To see the complete Facebook conversation, click on the link listed above.

• Placing quotas on police for positive interactions within communities.
• When an officer mishandles his/her position, charges should be filed. Simply firing an officer means that that officer can get a job at another department and continue mishandling his authority as a cop. Officers should be arrested and tried and, if convicted, should not be able to get rehired by a different department.
• More ongoing training/uniformed training.
• More qualified recruits; a better vetting system; require bachelor’s degree to become an officer.
• Need more funding to save police jobs.
• Excessive force should be a zero-tolerance policy.
• End sovereign immunity from all state law.
• Repeal all laws that ban contracts forbidding civilian review boards from reviewing complaints against police.
• Mandatory minimum sentencing for all police officers who falsify evidence/lie.
• Ban the use of tear gas and pepper spray on protesters.
• Require police to carry individual liability insurance.
• Remove militarized weapons from police forces.
• Hire independent prosecutors to deal with police prosecutions.
• Random drug screenings of officers.
• Provide free public legal representation for false arrest litigation/waive all filing fees in false arrest litigation.
• Mandate that all police employees live in the community they are policing.
• A strict, no-exemptions “three strikes and you’re out” policy for officers who mishandle their position.
• Maintain a national database of police offenses; develop use-of-force guidelines.
• Change the culture in the profession. When officers witness their peers abusing their power, they need an environment where they can report/stop them physically without worrying about repercussions from their department/peers. Institute real protection for whistleblowers” on the force, who have a duty to intervene.
• Ongoing task forces that includes citizens and victims to monitor accountability.
• Adopt non-lethal practices, stung guns.
• Retrain how to restrain; disallow chokeholds.
• Body cams — increase public access, require them to be worn all the time, don’t allow them to covered unless in restroom.
• Strengthen police and community relations; fund those areas.
• Create oversight where all use of force is reviewed.
• Roll out universal police accountability training to chiefs, supervisors and any disciplinary officer.
• Require professional development sessions every month.
• Limit the number of hours officers are on the street; alternate between street and psych therapy, paid time for both.
• Restructure 911 dispatchers to try and get mental health questions asked.
• Police Academy should focus more on self-defense and negotiations vs. brute force.
• Pair mental health counselors with cops on the street.
• Therapy for police officers/psychological evaluations part of yearly review/mental health screenings before hiring.
• Hold monthly or quarterly meetings with police and public.
• No administrative leave for bad actions/immediate termination.
• Promote a “see something say something” environment.
• Zero-tolerance policy for any racist behavior or language use by any officer (on- or off-duty).
• Mandatory six-month suspension of duty for any discharge of a firearm in the line of duty before returning to active patrol. During that time, require mandatory grief and trauma counseling for the officer, and the officer must undergo mandatory training on de-escalation and use of non-lethal force. This should be mandatory regardless of whether such discharge resulted in injury.
• Independent review of any domestic violence complaints against officers, including immediate paid leave until the investigation of any allegations is complete. Public reporting of any police calls to the household of an officer. Immediate dismissal for any proven charge of domestic violence, even if charge is a misdemeanor.
• Abolish the police union/designate police under military service.
• Investigations of all members of police for affiliation with hate groups (ex.: KKK) potentially be fired.
• Mental health screenings.
• Reward the good police officers.
• Dismantle the current system and create a new transformative model.
• Bring back the cut OPOTA trainings/funds.
• Need to change the bail system; no more bail for petty crimes.
• End “no-knock“ warrants.
• Investigate police stations that violate the Constitution.
• Allocate more funds for public defenders.
• Violations from any police officer should see a penalty to the entire groups pension.
• Clean up the streets. Take care of societal problems that are being ignored, including homelessness, addiction, homeowner squabbles.
• Give law enforcement officers unlimited access to mental health care.
• Each chief/sheriff must work patrol on the streets or work in the jail at least one day a week.
• Hire more effective defense attorneys.
• No cop should be carrying a live weapon.