Bill Text: IA SF6 | 2021-2022 | 89th General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: A bill for an act relating to officer disciplinary actions.(See SF 342.)

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-02-11 - Committee report approving bill, renumbered as SF 342. S.J. 335. [SF6 Detail]

Download: Iowa-2021-SF6-Introduced.html
Senate File 6 - Introduced SENATE FILE 6 BY ZAUN A BILL FOR An Act relating to officer disciplinary actions. 1 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 2 TLSB 1528XS (1) 89 as/rh
S.F. 6 Section 1. Section 80F.1, subsection 1, Code 2021, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . g. “Brady list” means a list of officers 3 maintained by the county attorney’s office, including officers 4 who may have impeached themselves as witnesses and officers 5 who may have violated the pretrial discovery rule requiring 6 officers to turn over all evidence that might be used to 7 exonerate a defendant. 8 Sec. 2. Section 80F.1, Code 2021, is amended by adding the 9 following new subsection: 10 NEW SUBSECTION . 20. a. An officer shall not be discharged, 11 disciplined, or threatened with discharge or discipline by a 12 state, county, or municipal law enforcement agency solely due 13 to the inclusion of the officer’s name on a Brady list. 14 b. This subsection does not prohibit a law enforcement 15 agency from dismissing, suspending, demoting, or taking other 16 disciplinary actions against an officer based on the underlying 17 actions that resulted in the officer’s name being placed on 18 a Brady list including any impeachment evidence against the 19 officer or evidence that the officer may not have turned 20 over exculpatory evidence to a defendant. If a collective 21 bargaining agreement applies, the actions taken by the law 22 enforcement agency shall conform to the rules and procedures 23 adopted by the collective bargaining agreement. 24 Sec. 3. BRADY LIST INTERIM COMMITTEE. 25 1. The legislative council is requested to establish a Brady 26 list interim committee for the 2021 interim. The purpose of 27 the committee shall be to do all of the following: 28 a. Study the disclosure of information contained in officer 29 personnel files as such information relates to a Brady list as 30 defined in section 80F.1. 31 b. Study the efficiency of implementing a statewide system 32 for a Brady list, identifying impartial entities to conduct 33 investigations pertaining to an officer’s acts or omissions to 34 act, and recommending the appropriate procedures, due process 35 -1- LSB 1528XS (1) 89 as/rh 1/ 4
S.F. 6 protections, appeal rights, and criteria for the placement and 1 removal of an officer’s name on and from a Brady list. 2 c. Study any other issues that the committee determines 3 relevant to its objective. The committee may solicit the 4 advice or testimony of any organization or individual with 5 information or expertise relevant to the purpose of the 6 committee. 7 2. The committee shall consist of three members of the 8 senate appointed by the majority leader of the senate, two 9 members of the senate appointed by the minority leader of the 10 senate, three members of the house of representatives appointed 11 by the speaker of the house of representatives, and two members 12 of the house of representatives appointed by the minority 13 leader of the house of representatives. Additional committee 14 members shall include the commissioner of the department of 15 public safety or the commissioner’s designee, a district court 16 judge appointed by the supreme court, and representatives from 17 all of the following: the Iowa county attorneys association, 18 the Iowa sheriffs and deputies association, the Iowa police 19 chiefs association, the Iowa state police association, the 20 Iowa peace officers association, the Iowa professional fire 21 fighters, the Iowa state troopers association, and the Iowa 22 state patrol supervisors association. The Iowa sheriffs and 23 deputies association member representative shall be an officer 24 who does not hold rank. 25 3. The committee shall elect a chairperson from the members 26 appointed. 27 4. The committee shall issue a report, including findings 28 and recommendations, to the governor and the general assembly 29 no later than December 16, 2021. 30 EXPLANATION 31 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 32 the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly. 33 This bill relates to police officer disciplinary actions and 34 establishes a legislative interim committee. 35 -2- LSB 1528XS (1) 89 as/rh 2/ 4
S.F. 6 The bill amends Code chapter 80F, relating to the rights of 1 officers and public safety and emergency personnel. The bill 2 prohibits an officer from being discharged, disciplined, or 3 threatened with discharge or discipline by a state, county, or 4 municipal law enforcement agency solely due to the inclusion 5 of the officer’s name on a Brady list. The bill defines “Brady 6 list” as a list of officers maintained by the county attorney’s 7 office, including officers who may have impeached themselves 8 as witnesses and officers who may have violated the pretrial 9 discovery rule requiring officers to turn over any evidence 10 that might be used to exonerate a defendant. However, a law 11 enforcement agency may dismiss, suspend, demote, or take other 12 disciplinary action against an officer based on the underlying 13 actions that resulted in the officer’s name being placed on 14 a Brady list including any impeachment evidence against the 15 officer or evidence that the officer failed to provide a 16 defendant with exculpatory evidence. 17 The bill establishes a legislative interim committee 18 to study the disclosure of officer personnel files as such 19 information relates to a Brady list, study the efficiency of 20 implementing a statewide system for a Brady list, identify 21 impartial entities to conduct investigations pertaining to an 22 officer’s acts and omissions to act, and recommend appropriate 23 procedures, due process protections, appeal rights, and 24 criteria for the placement and removal of an officer’s name on 25 and from a Brady list. The committee may solicit the advice or 26 testimony of any organization or individual with information or 27 expertise relevant to its study. 28 The committee shall consist of 10 legislative members 29 and 10 members representing various interested stakeholder 30 organizations, the department of public safety, and the court. 31 The committee shall issue a report, including findings and 32 recommendations, to the governor and the general assembly no 33 later than December 16, 2021. 34 The bill defines “Brady list” as a list of officers 35 -3- LSB 1528XS (1) 89 as/rh 3/ 4
S.F. 6 maintained by the county attorney’s office, including officers 1 who may have impeached themselves as witnesses and officers 2 who may have violated the pretrial discovery rule established 3 by Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) requiring officers 4 to turn over all evidence that might be used to exonerate a 5 defendant. 6 Under Code section 80F.1, “officer” means a certified 7 law enforcement officer, fire fighter, emergency medical 8 technician, corrections officer, detention officer, jailer, 9 probation or parole officer, communications officer, or 10 any other law enforcement officer certified by the Iowa law 11 enforcement academy and employed by a municipality, county, or 12 state agency. 13 -4- LSB 1528XS (1) 89 as/rh 4/ 4
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