Maryland Delegate Jheanelle Wilkins introduced a bill that would end qualified immunity for police who break the law while on the job, reports NBC Washington.
“Millions of taxpayer dollars have been paid out to victims of police misconduct,” Delegate Wilkins said, “yet in most circumstances, officers don’t face any civil liability or consequences of misconduct.”
The Maryland House Judiciary Committee heard the bill Monday afternoon.
Advocates of the bill believe that holding bad cops accountable will improve policing. Among them are retired Montgomery County, Maryland, police captain Sonia Pruitt and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben & Jerry’s.
“We all agree there is one cure to this inequity and that is to end qualified immunity altogether,” Pruitt said.
Read the entire piece here. You can read even more about the press conference in comprehensive coverage by the Washington Post and Maryland Matters.