Harrisburg – November 22, 2016 – State Sen. Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) released the following statement in support of Gov. Tom Wolf’s veto of legislation that required local officials to withhold the names of police officers involved in shootings. 

On Monday the governor vetoed House Bill 1538. The measure would have prohibited local officials from releasing the name or identifying information of police officers who are involved in shooting incidents for 30 days, or after the completion of the official investigation.   

Haywood’s statement follows:

“Governor Tom Wolf vetoed legislation that would have taken away local control of police departments.  Under House Bill 1538, the state, not local police departments, would have determined when to disclose the identity of police officers involved in shootings.  That’s a mistake.  

“The safety of police officers and transparency to the community are both important.  Local communities, not Harrisburg, have the answers to the best way to balance safety and transparency.  Let’s get Harrisburg out of the way of our communities.”

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