James Craig on running for Governor: 'I know I've been called for this role'

James Craig, retired Detroit police chief and candidate for governor in Michigan, explained how he knows he has been "called" to unseat Gretchen Whitmer in the 2022 election as he leads her several points in a recent poll. Craig made the remarks during an interview on "Fox & Friends" on Sunday emphasizing the need for leaders full of integrity and courage to deal with current issues. 

JAMES CRAIG: It's a powerful statement. I know Denzel. I know where he stands. I know I've been called for this role. This is prophetic. I know that being the next governor, the next governor of the great state of Michigan, is something that was placed on my heart. A friend of mine who was a very spiritual man who said 13 years ago, you're going to be the governor. Now, that was WILD for me because I wanted to only be the chief of police. Here I sit today, but in today's world, in our state and our country, we need strong, courageous leaders to deal with the issues. Look at our country. We're divided. Look at our state. People are so just that dissatisfied and sick of politics. They want leaders that will get it done and get it done with integrity. 

Watch the full interview here: https://video.foxnews.com/v/6274294967001

 

Protecting Nassau Police From Hate Crimes Sparks Controversy

 Police reform advocates are criticizing a Nassau County bill that would make police and other first responders a protected class under human rights laws. The bill, set for a vote on Monday, would allow police to bring civil lawsuits against anyone who harasses or menaces them as those terms are defined under New York penal law.

The bill was drafted by County Legislator Joshua Lafazan of Woodbury, who caucuses with Democrats, but is registered as unaffiliated with any political party. He described the intent of the bill as a way to protect police from a “widespread pattern of physical attacks and intimidation”.

“There is an urgent need to enhance the legal protections afforded to our law enforcement personnel,” Lafazan said during a committee meeting. “To make them whole in the face of injury suffered at the hands of rioters and other individuals bent on lawless behavior, and to deter and punish such destructive behavior in order to protect the human rights of all people.”

The bill ignited controversy as soon as it was brought up in a closed-door caucus meeting, and again on Nassau’s legislative floor. Legislator Siela Bynoe, a Democrat from Westbury, said she was concerned protesters angry at police misconduct could be sued.

“We're talking about a civil case,” Bynoe said. “They have to pay to have a defense attorney act in their interest. And that can be a significant burden.”

The bill has divided Democrats, but is now being championed by the Republican majority who pushed the bill to the full legislature for vote.

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Shelby County, IL sheriff announces resignation, cites police reform

 SHELBY COUNTY, Ill. - Shelby County's sheriff announced his resignation from office, citing police reform legislation as the reason. 

In a letter making the announcement, Sheriff Don Koonce said he will step down on June 25, 2021. 

"This decision was not an easy one for me to make, but (was) reaffirmed by the imminent change in police reform," Koonce said. "It is my hope that Illinois legislators dive deep into this reform and make sweeping changes. The safety of the public is at risk." 

This follows a massive criminal justice reform bill of over 700 pages in length signed into law by Gov. JB Pritzker in February. The law eliminated cash bail in the state and mandated police body camera usage for all officers. It limited the use of force, among other changes. 

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'Squad' Dems may unravel police-reform deal in push to end qualified immunity

The demands -- which stop short of a threat to vote against any bill that doesn't roll back qualified immunity but come close to that line -- could doom legislation that Republicans and Democrats have been negotiating for weeks. 

The letter is signed by Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.; Mondaire Jones, D-N.Y.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.; Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill. 

Qualified immunity is a protection that shields government officials of all stripes from being personally sued for violating somebody's rights in the course of reasonably doing their jobs unless the breached rights are "clearly established in the law." In practice, this often means that police officers who go well beyond their authority in handling an incident cannot be held civilly liable for their actions. 

"We are concerned by recent discussions that the provision ending qualified immunity for local, state, and federal law enforcement may be removed in order to strike a bipartisan deal in the Senate," the letter said. "Given that police violence, as a weapon of structural racism, continues to have devastating and deadly consequences for Black and brown lives across our country, we strongly urge you to not only maintain but strengthen the provision eliminating qualified immunity as negotiations in the Senate continue."

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Sen. Shelley Moore Capito Backs Sen. Scott’s Police Reform Proposal

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) weighed in on the police reform debate on Capitol Hill. In an interview Sunday, Moore Capito said she supports Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-S.C.)’s efforts to bring forward a balanced bill.

Scott recently said lawmakers are focusing on a handful of issues, like ending qualified immunity, a federal ban on chokeholds, and no-knock warrants. Moore Capito said Scott has been across the aisle, and she believes “the time is now,” as there is a real desire to get legislation on the matter done and done right.

She added, qualified immunity is a hot-button issue right now.

“I think the way that Senator Scott has formulated some revisions to qualified immunity is on the table right now,” Moore Capito said. “I know he is in active negotiations on this piece.”

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New bill would end qualified immunity for police officers in Illinois

A bill that would put an end to qualified immunity for police officers is making its way through the Illinois House.

The Bad Apples in Law Enforcement Accountability Act of 2021 would allow for civil litigation against law enforcement officers if they ‘deprive any individual rights guaranteed under the Illinois Constitution.’

Officers who ‘fail to intervene’ could also be held accountable.

Governor Pritzker signed a police reform bill in February that included ending cash bail. The end to qualified immunity was included in an early version of Pritzker’s Illinois police reform bill but was left out.

Several local law enforcement agencies strongly opposed the measure and a petition urging Pritzker to veto the bill garnered more than 150,000 signatures.

Those who oppose the action say the bill prohibits peace officers from fulfilling their sworn oath and duty.

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House Passes New Bill To Abolish Qualified Immunity For Police

On a largely party-line vote, the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday night approved the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act (H.R. 1280), a massive overhaul of American policing that would make it much easier to sue rogue officers. Among its many provisions, the bill would eliminate “qualified immunity” for all local, state, and federal law enforcement officers. Under qualified immunity, government officials escape any legal liability for civil rights violations unless the victim can show that their rights were “clearly established” at the time.

Thanks to this loophole, federal courts have upheld qualified immunity to Fresno officers accused of stealing more than $225,000 in cash and rare coins, an Idaho SWAT team that bombarded an innocent mom’s home with tear gas grenades, and a Georgia sheriff’s deputy who accidentally shot a 10-year-old boy while aiming for the family’s dog. 

“We as a country have a choice: We can either choose police accountability, or choose qualified immunity, but we cannot choose both,” one of the act’s original cosponsors, Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY), said on the House floor. “The purpose of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is not to second guess officers who act in good faith, the objective is to hold liable officers who repeatedly abuse their power and who rarely, if ever, face consequences for their repeat abuses.”

A nearly identical version of the bill passed the House last summer but never got a floor vote in the Senate. Though the Justice in Policing Act still faces an uphill battle this session, prospects are brighter. Ending qualified immunity is backed by around two-thirds of Americans, including many prominent celebrities like Tom Brady and the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s.

Moreover, the bill has been endorsed by the Biden Administration, while some Senate Republicans have signaled they may be amenable to compromise. For instance, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) who last summer called eliminating qualified immunity a “poison pill,” on Tuesday said that he was “open to having conversations on civil qualified immunity as it relates to police departments, cities, and municipalities being held accountable for the actions of those they employ.”

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