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Ohio Bill Seeks Open Review When Officers Use Deadly Force
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A bipartisan proposal in Ohio seeks to provide a more transparent investigative process when a law enforcement officer fatally shoots another person.
A bill recently introduced by state Reps. Alicia Reece, a Cincinnati Democrat, and Jonathan Dever, a Madeira Republican, would require law enforcement agencies to adopt written policies for investigating officers involved in firearms-related deaths.
Reece says the legislation is partly based on recommendations from a state task force studying police-community relations.
Under the bill, an investigatory panel of officers would issue its findings in a report to the local prosecutor’s office. Should the prosecutor decline to press charges, the report would be released to the public.
The measure would require the panel to inform the deceased person’s family members of contact information for the prosecutor handling the case.