Police unions plan to update guidance on defending officers: report

More than a dozen U.S. police unions have reportedly endorsed a plan that would update how they defend officers accused of misconduct and would also encourage officers to intervene if they witness police misconduct on the job.

CNN reported that the plan agreed upon by 15 law enforcement unions across the country and set for release later this week could lead to thousands of officers receiving additional training on what to do if they witness a fellow officer involved in misconduct.

The plan was brokered by a committee convened by three top U.S. unions: the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), AFL-CIO and International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and will be implemented by the unions in the months ahead, according to CNN. The Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police union, did not participate.

“We’ll represent you, we’ll be there for you, absolutely. Unless you don’t hold up your end of the bargain,” Lisa Titus, a member of the committee that came up with the plan, told CNN. “But we’ll also hold you accountable. It is a big shift, and it’s going to take some time.”

A document produced as part of the plan added that the changes would “empower local union members to speak up and take action if fellow members are violating their professional oath or abusing their power, and ultimately helps the union weed out wrong-doers from union membership.”

The effort to improve the rate at which police report their fellow officers for misconduct comes following the guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis officer charged with the murder of George Floyd last year.

Floyd’s death sparked nationwide protests against police brutality and against systemic racism in law enforcement.