WHEREAS:

Law enforcement officers throughout the United States do not uniformly enjoy fundamental rights of citizenship and of public employment, such as the right to fully engage in political activity while off duty, the right to remain silent in connection with an internal investigation, the right to be advised of the nature of an internal investigation involving the officer, and the right to full and fair representation; and

WHEREAS:

S.1043 was introduced in 1991 by Senate Biden of Delaware (entitled the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights), which provides many of the foregoing rights and others to law enforcement officers; and

WHEREAS:

Such legislation was incorporated into the 1991 Senate Crime Bill, S.1241, and enacted by the Senate; and

WHEREAS:

The Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights was not enacted by the 102nd Congress because it failed to be reported upon favorably by the House Judiciary Committee; and

WHEREAS:

Senators Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Joseph Biden of Delaware have introduced S.334 and Representatives Jim Lightfoot of Iowa and Bart Stupak of Michigan have introduced H.R. 878, "The Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights Act of 1995" which would provide to police officers the same fundamental rights of a free society which we demand from police officers.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That AFSCME International strongly endorses enactment of the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill of Rights Act of 1995 ( H.R. 878 and S. 334) in Congress and urges the strongest possible support by the Clinton Administration for this badly needed legislation and that AFSCME seek to amend H.R. 878 and S. 334 to also cover correctional officers, juvenile corrections officers and medical personnel in corrections.

SUBMITTED BY:

Gary Waterhouse, President and Delegate
Curtis Searle, Secretary
AFSCME Council 15
Connecticut