Comparison of Florida’s and Maryland’s Police Reforms
The United States of America is comprised of 50 constitutionally acknowledged States. The United States’ constitution is structured to view the 50 states as independent entities from the federal government system. Since the States are independent, their governance and mode of conducting their activities, social, economic, and political, is entirely different. Further, these States have varied policies whose primary purpose is to meet the State members’ needs. The diverse policies in the States imply none of the States is governed similarly to the others. The purpose of this paper is to compare Florida and Maryland States’ police policy reforms.
Role of Police in Florida and Maryland
In both states, the police force is tasked with a crucial role, enforcing law and order. The nature of their role necessitates clear policies that ensure all citizens are treated equally regardless of either their political affiliations or race. However, this has not been the case because police officers have been involved in race-based police brutality and other racial injustice forms (Harmon, 2016). The need to change the police training, the investigation of police officers charged with misconduct, and how the police do their assigned jobs are the primary factors fueling police reforms in both Florida and Maryland.
Similarities on Police Reforms and Procedures between Maryland and Florida
In both Florida and Maryland, police reforms begin with the appointment of task forces who are expected to conduct a needs assessment survey and compile a report comprising of their findings and the proposed recommendations. In Florida, the panel tasked with initiating police reforms is the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA) (Haughey, 2020). In Maryland, the task force is constituted by the Public Safety and Policing Work Group (PSPW). After their constitution, the taskforces interview the various stakeholders, including the general public, to establish the nature of appropriate reforms. Notably, police policing reforms in both state purposes to ensure justice to all citizens, including the police officers. For example, Florida’s and Maryland’s police reforms seek to offer effective protection to the whistleblowers who help investigators access important information about police misconduct (Haughey, 2020; Cox, 2016). This is one of the primary indications that the reforms are not biased.
In both States, the recommendation of the taskforces is used by lawmakers of both houses to push bills that purpose to increase accountability and integrity in the policing sector. However, these laws should be aligned to the federal government guidelines (Harmon, 2016). It is worth noting that all states must ensure that their bills, laws, and governance procedures do not contradict those of the federal government.
References
Harmon, R. (2016). Limited leverage: Federal remedies and policing reform. . Louis U. Pub. L. Rev., 32, 33.
Haughey, John (2020). “Florida police chiefs taking the lead in statewide policing reform movement.” Center Square. Available at: https://www.thecentersquare.com/florida/florida-police-chiefs-taking-lead-in-statewide- policing-reform-movement/article_8129c3f2-b0ed-11ea-86b9-837357d77cc3.html
Cox Erin (Jan 2016). Maryland task force recommends 22 police reforms. The Baltimore Sun. Available at: https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-policing-group- 20160111-story.html