LANSING, MI (AP)-- Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation aiming to prevent police misconduct from being kept secret when officers leave for a job at another department.
The law signed Tuesday takes effect in 90 days. It will require law enforcement agencies to keep records about the circumstances surrounding any officer's employment separation. The officer will have to sign a waiver allowing a prospective employer to ask for the records, and the department will be unable to hire the officer unless it receives the documents.
The bill sponsor, Republican Sen. Rick Jones, says bad behavior by law enforcement should never be tolerated. He says the overwhelmingly majority of police and sheriff's deputies are "great public servants," but a "bad apple" can spoil everything.
