WHAT IS THE POLICE UNION CONTRACT PROJECT?
Today, we launch The Police Union Contract Project, an initial study of the ways in which police union contracts across the country block accountability. Visit the website at checkthepolice.org.
WHY ARE WE FOCUSING ON POLICE UNION CONTRACTS?
The Police Union Contract Project is aligned with the "Fair Police Union Contracts" section of our comprehensive platform to end police violence, Campaign Zero.
Our analysis discovered several clauses in police union contracts that exist as explicit barriers to police accountability, such as clauses that call for police union discipline files to be automatically destroyed and clauses that severely delay or limit any interrogations or investigations of officers.
Collective bargaining remains an important strategy for protecting the rights of workers. However, police unions have used their influence to undermine efforts to ensure accountability and to protect police officers who engage in unjustified & violent acts.
FUTHER READINGS ON POLICE UNION CONTRACTS
Jonathan Smith, former Chief of the Special Litigation Section in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, wrote an important op-ed in the NYT providing perspective on the role of police unions, entitled "Police Unions Must Not Block Reform."
Also, this recent article, entitled "Decades Of Complaints Against Chicago Cops Are On The Verge Of Being Destroyed" aptly describes how nearly 50 years of complaints against Chicago police officers may soon be permanently destroyed due to a clause in the Chicago FOP contract.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Review the latest study of police union contracts by visiting checkthepolice.org and also become familiar with the police union contract in your respective city. We have created the first public database of police union contracts and it is important that you familiarize yourself with them.
In the coming weeks, we plan to work with a collective of legal professionals, scholars, and activists to continue analyzing each police union contract and to eventually develop model contract language that is fair and in the interest of the public good.
If you would like to assist us in this project, please reply to this e-mail directly.
// DeRay, Netta, Brittany, & Sam
P.S. MuckRock has been an incredible partner in this project, as its citizen-led platform allowed us to file public records requests to obtain the police union contracts. |
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