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A26 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 14 July 2020
Advocates seek law change to end citizen arrests in Georgia

By JEFF AMY said that under the state's
Associated Press self defense laws, lawmak-
ATLANTA (AP) — Civil rights ers could create a situation
groups called for Georgia where it's legal for a hom-
lawmakers to repeal the eowner to shoot a thief but
state's 19th-century citizen's not detain him.
arrest law Monday, but "Then there's no incentive
some Republican lawmak- not to shoot him, because
ers voiced concerns that under our self defense laws,
without the law, property I'd be justified," Porter said.
owners might not have the Others disagreed with
authority to detain thieves those interpretations, say-
until police arrive. ing there's already room
The law came under fire under Georgia law even
after it was initially used as without citizen's arrest for
a justification for the white merchants, property own-
men who shot and killed Ah- ers and other to detain sus-
maud Arbery, a Black man, pected lawbreakers until
near Brunswick in February. police arrive.
The law also factored into "Those detentions can re-
the claims last year by a main lawful without provid-
white woman that she was ing arrest powers to private
justified in shooting a Black Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar speaks during a White House persons," said Marissa Mc-
man in Clayton County. In Coronavirus Task Force briefing at the Department of Education building Wednesday, July 8, 2020, Call Dodson, public policy
both those cases, addition- in Washington. Associated Press director for the Southern
al evidence has dispelled Center for Human Rights.
the notions that the shoot- James Woodall said. He can Civil Liberties Union year. Bruce said the ACLU rec-
ers could use the law to jus- argued that private citi- of Georgia. "And today, it Gwinnett County District ommends that Georgia
tify their actions. zens are likely more biased continues to permit people Attorney Danny Porter tes- write a specific provision
Advocates say the law is against African Americans, to weaponize their own ra- tified that he generally op- for merchant detentions
steeped in racism and slav- and face no scrutiny, unlike cial biases and deprive in- poses citizens arresting one based on Virginia law.
ery, and was used to round police. nocent Georgians of their another. State Rep. Bert Reeves said
up suspected escaped Opponents argue that to- most basic liberties — free- "They usually turn out bad- he feared that repealing
slaves and then as a justi- day it encourages peo- dom and life." ly. They're usually based on citizen's arrest could leave
fication for the lynching of ple to use force to arrest Efforts to repeal the law someone's misinterpreta- people making choices
African Americans. people when they should failed during the recently tion of the law," Porter said. that would be highly sub-
"The broad language of this instead wait for police, en- concluded 2020 legislative "Citizen's arrest, in this age jective based on the facts
statute has dangerously al- couraging violence. session, but the House Ju- of increased police forces, of a situation.
lowed for private citizens to "It has historically allowed diciary Committee is hold- is really kind of an archaic "I don't think we can sub-
take the law into their own slave patrols and lynch ing a series of hearings this concept." jectively look at this and
hands, which ultimately mobs to take the law into summer, possibly setting But he urged lawmakers to come to a conclusion that
would always lead to dev- their own hands," said the groundwork for a newly make sure stores can detain properly balances property
astating consequences," Christopher Bruce, politi- elected General Assembly shoplifters and homeown- rights in this," the Marietta
state NAACP President cal director for the Ameri- to consider changes next ers can detain burglars. He Republican said.q

Oregon, other states putting names of ousted police online

state. The online posting last a police officer who was national registry of certifi-
week came after the state decertified in Oregon ob- cate or license revocations.
Legislature created a law tained employment in law The National Decertifica-
requiring the Department enforcement in another tion Index provides access
of Public Safety Standards state, a situation that some to records from agencies in
and Training to establish a say points to the need for 44 states and was created
statewide public database a comprehensive, nation- by the International Asso-
of officers whose certifica- wide database. ciation of Directors of Law
tion has been revoked or Former Coquille, Oregon, Enforcement Standards
suspended. police officer Sean Sulli- and Training.
"Those who are revoked van was convicted of ha- "More needs to be done,"
have tarnished the badge rassment in 2005 for kissing he said in an email. "First
and no longer have the a 10-year-old girl on the the NDI is voluntary so we
trust of their community, mouth. have states like Georgia
their agency, or our agen- A year later, he became that don't contribute and
In this Jan. 11, 2018, file photo, clouds hover over the Oregon cy as the certifying body," chief of police of the tiny the ones that do could stop
State Capitol in Salem, Ore. department director Eriks town of Cedar Vale, Kan- at any time.
Associated Press Gabliks told The Associated sas. Second, many states can
By ANDREW SELSKY the names of over 1,700 Press. He quit that job while being only decertify for crimes,
Associated Press officers whose transgres- The web site includes investigated there. some only for felony con-
SALEM, Ore. (AP) — In the sions over the past 50 years a spreadsheet with the In the absence of an offi- victions, but many forms of
aftermath of the death of were so serious that they names of decertified of- cial nationwide database, misconduct conducted by
George Floyd in police cus- were banned from working ficers going back to 1971. a non-profit maintains a officers are not crimes but
tody, Oregon has released in law enforcement in the In at least one instance, website intended to be a need to be investigated."q