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In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the civil unrest that followed, Americans remain divided on the issues of race, criminal justice, and the police. In fact, given the current cultural and political climate, it seems difficult if not impossible to have meaningful dialogue about these issues that result in concrete, meaningful action steps. And that is why I am intrigued by the story of HB 1006, a 2021 criminal justice reform and police support bill that passed unanimously through the Indiana House of Representatives and Senate and was signed by Governor Holcomb in April of 2021. Supporters included the Fraternal Order of Police and the Black Legislative Caucus.
In part 2 of this story, I discuss HB 1006 withRep. Robin Shackleford (D – Indianapolis), who was the initial advocate for many of the measures in this bill, worked closely with Rep. Greg Steuerwald (R – Danville) and helped shepherd the legislation through the Indiana House of Representatives and Senate. If you missed Part 1 of this story (a discussion with Rep. Steuerwald), you can access it here.
Key Takeaways:
- Here is a link to Rep. Shackleford’s full bio, a list of the committees she leads or serves on and a list of her other leadership roles (such as Chair of the Black Legislative Caucus).
- Her public service prior to her current role, and what inspired her to run for the Indiana House of Representatives.
- The comprehensive measures she took to (1) connect with key players and organizations in Indiana and to (2) develop and promote reform and support measures.
- How the partnership with Rep. Steuerwad developed, and why this was a critical part of the effort.
- The key components of the bill, including the following: mandatory police training in de-escalation, a change to the use of chokeholds, police officer decertification procedures, changes to the sharing of police officer employment records (hiring police agencies were often unable to obtain employment records from previous agencies), funding for body cams and $70 million to repair and update the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. For the full details of the bill, here is the actual legislation.
- Reflections on the day the legislation passed unanimously in the Indiana House of Representatives.
- How other states can use this law as a model.