Sunni Man
Diamond Member
- Aug 14, 2008
- 63,016
- 30,959
A bill that would punish potty-mouthed cops with a pink slip goes before a State House committee today, and its already drawing a polite, but firm response from law enforcement.
Take a model officer, a 10-year veteran. One arrest and he drops an F bomb. And were going to fire him? I think thats over the top, said Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie, president of the Major City Chiefs. Police departments wouldnt tolerate any of that behavior anyway. ... But I think its extremely difficult to legislate civility.
The legislation, dubbed An Act to prohibit in*appropriate language use by sworn law officers, is a proposal by state Rep. Benjamin Swan (D-Springfield) that makes the use of name-calling or profanity by cops in the line of duty grounds for dismissal.
These folks, theyre public servants. Its unprofessional and beneath the dignity of any public servant to use that language toward the people theyre representing, said state Rep. Paul Heroux (D-Attleboro), one of the bills co-sponsors. I think this bill is reinforcing good police practice.
Wayne Sampson, executive director of Massachusetts Chiefs of Police, said the radical legislation is broadly written, with no exceptions, even for undercover cops.
Certainly we cant have them speaking proper English at all times while working with gangs, Sampson said. We feel this is very aggressive remedy for a situation that may not be as severe as projected here.
Cussin' cops could get ax under proposed legislation | Boston Herald
Take a model officer, a 10-year veteran. One arrest and he drops an F bomb. And were going to fire him? I think thats over the top, said Everett Police Chief Steven Mazzie, president of the Major City Chiefs. Police departments wouldnt tolerate any of that behavior anyway. ... But I think its extremely difficult to legislate civility.
The legislation, dubbed An Act to prohibit in*appropriate language use by sworn law officers, is a proposal by state Rep. Benjamin Swan (D-Springfield) that makes the use of name-calling or profanity by cops in the line of duty grounds for dismissal.
These folks, theyre public servants. Its unprofessional and beneath the dignity of any public servant to use that language toward the people theyre representing, said state Rep. Paul Heroux (D-Attleboro), one of the bills co-sponsors. I think this bill is reinforcing good police practice.
Wayne Sampson, executive director of Massachusetts Chiefs of Police, said the radical legislation is broadly written, with no exceptions, even for undercover cops.
Certainly we cant have them speaking proper English at all times while working with gangs, Sampson said. We feel this is very aggressive remedy for a situation that may not be as severe as projected here.
Cussin' cops could get ax under proposed legislation | Boston Herald
