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Braun to unveil bill rolling back police immunity from lawsuits

Indiana US Senator Mike Braun

WASHINGTON (WOWO): Republican Indiana US Senator Mike Braun may be on a collision course with the leader of Republicans in the Senate.

The Washington Post reports that Braun is backing a bill to reform qualified immunity for law enforcement, and he’s the lone Republican sponsor, referring to a bill supported by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that discourages – but doesn’t ban – chokeholds and “no-knock” warrants as “low hanging fruit.”

Braun’s bill would scale back certain legal protections that keep police officers from being held liable in lawsuits over civil rights violations or excessive force.

The Post adds that Braun calls the practice of qualified immunity an overreach “in which protection is extended to those acting under the color of the law, even when they commit egregious acts which deprive fellow citizens of their constitutional and statutory rights.”

The practice has come into question recently in the wake of nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice, sparked by the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. 

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1 comment

Fan of Good people in Hoosier land June 23, 2020 at 10:04 am

I believe the majority of police do their jobs quite well, even though it is can be very taxing and disheartening at times. I believe police officers are here to serve and protect Americans. I believe they deserve to be safe and protected during their job and when off duty. I believe that police officers are citizens of the United States. I don’t believe they have any right to choke people out in order to submit them. I don’t believe they have the right to have bad members that choose aggression over responsible protection. I don’t believe they should be allowed to have immunity or be judged b

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