By Mike Sunnucks | Rose Law Group Reporter
Rev. Jarret Maupin, an Arizona civil rights leader, said the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the resulting protests and unrest that followed across the country and Europe present an opportunity for reforms and changes.
But Maupin said during the Rose Law Group’s New Economy (Virtual) Power Lunch series now is the time for action and not more talk when it comes to race and police.
“People want action. They are tired of talk,” said Maupin who is president of Humanity Organized Promoting Equality (HOPE Inc.).
Maupin said looking at reforming qualified immunity which shields police officers from prosecution, giving Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich more power to go after crooked or abusive cops without approval from county attorneys and real community policing reforms are a start.
Current state laws require county attorneys to request state prosecutors to look at police misconduct. Changes could allow Brnovich and future attorneys general to move ahead with investigations and prosecutions without county approvals or requests.
Maupin said more diverse and more local hiring will be key to community policing reforms. He said progressive pushes to ‘defund the police’ strike worry with many voters and communities.
“I think that makes folks nervous when they hear that,” Maupin said.
