INDIANAPOLIS—On Tuesday, Senate Bill (SB) 110, law enforcement officer misconduct database, passed out of the Senate Corrections and Criminal Code Committee with unanimous support.

Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Eddie Melton (D-Gary) released the following statement on the passage of this bill:

“I’m thankful to my colleagues in committee for unanimously voting to move SB 110 to the Senate floor,” Sen. Melton said. “This is a huge step forward to address issues of accountability and transparency among law enforcement officers in Indiana.

SB 110 would require law enforcement departments to disclose disciplinary actions against law enforcement officers, if any exist, when that officer is seeking employment with another department.

“The goal of this bill is to identify where issues in law enforcement lie so we can do our best to address those issues properly and efficiently.

“This past summer, the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus (IBLC) spent countless hours meeting with Hoosiers across the state to discuss police reform and changes in law enforcement. From civic organizations, to faith-based advocacy groups and law enforcement agencies, we were very diligent about meeting with stakeholders all across the state to have these important discussions and take recommendations about necessary reform in Indiana.

“This bill was directly drafted from those conversations, and I think it’s a very straight-forward proposal that will ultimately help foster trust and improve relations between law enforcement officers and communities. I want to stress that this bill is solely about transparency and accountability, and I truly believe it will be beneficial to all parties.”

SB 110 was amended in committee to require law enforcement officers who have been formally disciplined on three separate occasions to undergo psychological evaluation by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist. Language making information on law enforcement misconduct available to the public was also amended out of the bill.

“I support the added language to SB 110 regarding psychological evaluation, but I do want to ensure that language granting members of the public access to this law enforcement misconduct database is restored. I’m also hoping to hear from the public and other law enforcement professionals on ways to strengthen this bill. As I said, this proposal is about transparency and accountability, and it’s important that the final language in this bill allows us to meet that goal.”