Virginia Senate Passes Bill That Will Effectively Turns Cops into Secret PoliceBy Clarice Palmer Senate Bill 552, which has already been approved by the Senate, hopes to classify the names of all local police officers and fire marshals as personnel records, shielding these individuals from the responsibility of dealing with public backlash in the case that something goes awry. The bill, theWashington Post reports, was proposed as a response to an incident involving the the press, and the names of police officers considered too problematic to stay in their positions: It started with a reporters attempt to learn whether problem police officers were moving from department to department. It resulted in legislation that is again bringing national scrutiny to the Virginia General Assembly: a bill that could keep all Virginia police officers names secret. The Virginia House, which is dominated by Republican lawmakers, is considering a review of the bill starting this Thursday. So far, Governor Terry McAuliffe has not taken a side, thePost notes. Two civil rights groups thatopposeS.B. 552 say the bill goes too far, proposing less transparency at a time when the pressure to hold police officers accountable for their actions has ignited a growingmovementdemanding reform. If the bill is signed into law they fear it will represent an unprecedented move, opening the door for other states to follow suit. Supporters of the bill argue that officers and deputies could be at risk if their names are handed to the press. Despite alack of evidencethat the effort to target police officers is becoming popular in the country, Virginia lawmakers, like Republican Senator John Cosgrove,claim S.B. 552 willrestore a healthy respect for law enforcement something the senator says he seldom sees. Now, Cosgrove says, [police officers have] become targets of opportunity. Both the Fraternal Order of Police and the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police worked on the bill with Cosgrove, which might explain the wording of the legislation. According to thePost, opponents of the bill in the Senate like Senator Chap Petersen, a Democrat from Fairfax say the withholding of officer nameswill increase the occurrence of corruption within agencies. Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, also offered harsh words about the bill. According to Rhyne, police officers are paid by the public, so they dont get to do that in secret, referring to the fact that the bill would also keep officer training information off the record. In her blog, she explained the position of her organization. SB 552 would exempt from disclosure any information about salary including name, position and job classification for anyone in law enforcement,she wrote. To Rhyne, the House should not consider the bill because it eliminate[s] the ability of the public to see how departments are organized, whether the number of employed persons falls within their spending and safety priorities. She continued: Its like a secret police force. A police force the public must pay for, but a police force the public is not entitled to look at with any scrutiny. Governor McAuliffes office reportedly hasnt confirmed whether he will sign the bill if it makes it to his desk. In the past, however, the Democrat has sided with law enforcement over civil liberties advocates. Last year, hevetoeda bill written to limit the time officers may hold onto information tied to license plate readers. This article (Virginia Senate Passes Bill That Will Effectively Turns Cops into Secret Police) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Clarice Palmer andtheAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm Eastern/8 pm Pacific. If you spot a typo, please email the error and name of the article to edits@theantimedia.org. We dont pay salaries to anonymous people who may or may not exist. What a great way to create a black hole budget. Good point, I didnt think of that. This statement (Its like a secret police force. A police force the public must pay for, but a police force the public is not entitled to look at with any scrutiny.) explains every alphabet agency that is associated with local, state and federal government. That certainly does not make this news a first or right but certainly shows consistency of tyrannical rule. TREASON! Impeachable. This issue is best served by citizens in concert with their state elected legislatures. They have taken a oath to defend you and are available to meet by appointment; many of them probably know you on a personal basis. If not, you are responsible to make the first effort to meet them. They are your fellow citizens and by choice your servants. They have a valid historical reason to act; witness Ferguson Mo.when the fourth estate became the fifth column and posted the address of the officer in the Brown shooting, The officer carried no guilt whatsoever, being supported by eye witness and crime scene evidence, a grand jury and further findings. That was not how it was reported! This evil is owned by outsiders. Put your trust in God, and the Constitution. Didnt ask for a sermon. The only thing that should be preached is the Gospel. I disagree with most of what you said. Its time for all good, true christians to put on the armor of God and fight back with the truth of His Word. Im not your enemy. Preach to them. Marlene, this was not directed at You. The trend of the discussion was to malign the Virginia Legislature. I live in Missouri and here we have a open door policy where the citizens are welcome to interact with those that are our representatives. The Ferguson riots were from paid out of states activists, California and Illinois played a big part in it; they demanded their pay from George Sorows, and this was covered by St.Louis papers. Have You ever heard Let no crisis go to waste They were here too! When I was a Child I agree 