RICHMOND, Va. — Following the civil unrest around the country after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is pushing for 16 law enforcement and criminal justice reforms in this state.
The Democrat says his ideas will reduce brutality and abuses of power by law enforcement, increase transparency, accountability, justice, and equality, and address disparities throughout the criminal justice system.
"These and other reforms, if passed, will get us a lot closer to a more fair and more just criminal justice system," he said.
Herring wants to modernize, standardize, and elevate the rigor of police training.
Among the ideas: making it easier to remove bad officers from the law enforcement profession, creating a "duty to intervene" for law enforcement officers, and, barring or limiting dangerous, unnecessary, and potentially deadly police tactics.
"We have a tremendous opportunity to take concrete steps to make changes to our criminal justice system to meet our public safety goals and to make sure everyone is treated fairly," he said.
A special session of the Virginia General Assembly is set for August 18.
House Minority Leader Del.Todd Gilbert of Shenandoah said, "House Republicans will work to make sure our law enforcement professionals have the resources and support they need to do their job."