With images still fresh of the young Black males who died at the hands of police in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y., and his own campaign pledge to affect change remaining a top mission, Philadelphia-based state Sen. Art Haywood announced this week that he’s renewing his push for legislation that would automatically require the appointment of a special prosecutor during investigations where officers use force with a firearm.
Haywood, a Democrat, held a public hearing in the state capital this week where he proposed Senate Bill 400, which he counts as a method to prevent conflicts of interest between police departments and local prosecutors, who often work with and rely on officers during the prosecution of criminal cases.