(Editor’s note: Opinion pieces are published for discussions purposes only.)
The nation’s grave problems of police procedures and racial insensitivity laid bare by the simmering events in Ferguson, Mo., can only be worsened by concealment. Yet that is what a bill approved by Arizona’s Legislature would do by keeping identities of police officers secret for 60 days after officers are involved in deadly or serious shootings.
The measure now before Gov. Doug Ducey was prompted by officers’ concerns about their own security after two shootings. The debate focused on the national protests ignited by the shooting death of a black teenager by a Ferguson police officer last year. Proponents say a cooling-off period is needed to protect officers until the facts of a shooting are clear.
