| Advertisement |
April 13 (UPI) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed two controversial bills that he says will buffer law enforcement from "anti-police activists." SB 184 sets a 25-foot "no-go" zone around police and first responders who are "engaged in the lawful performance of a legal duty." People in violation of the rule will receive a verbal warning. Failure to comply will result in a second-degree misdemeanor.
Advertisement
HB 601, meanwhile. limits the abilities of citizen police oversight boards to investigate misconduct allegations and gives power to sheriffs and police chiefs to appoint members.
DeSantis signed both measures at a ceremony on Friday.
"I was proud to sign legislation today to ensure law enforcement officers can serve our communities without worrying about harassment from anti-police activists," DeSantis said in a post on X. "We will continue to take action to ensure Florida remains the friendliest state in the nation for law enforcement officers."
Some media and First Amendment advocates have criticized the "no-go" zone bill, which takes effect Jan. 1.
First Amendment Foundation Executive Director Bobby Block said the bill's language was vague and unlikely to hold up in court.
"We find the law is highly discretionary and would enable responders to order reporters and citizens with smartphones to stop video or audio recording, or simply observing, in violation of their constitutional rights," Block wrote in a letter urging DeSantis to veto the bill.
Some Black Democrats in Florida spoke out against the bill, citing the police killing of George Floyd in 2020 and other cases that gained national attention due to bystanders being close enough to record the incidents.
"The only reason we know what happened to George Floyd is because of a girl who was filming his murder close by, and it is apparent to me today that this body is more concerned with the comfort of the police officer than it is with justice and truth," said Rep. Lavon Bracy Davis of Ocoee, Fla.
Critics of HB 601 argued the bill removes in important source of civilian input and transparency into police agencies.
"I think the attempt is to eliminate these boards," Marc Dickerman, vice chair of the Fort Lauderdale Police Advisory Board, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
The law is "almost a death knell for boards throughout the state," he added.
The bill would take effect July 1.
Florida has 21 citizen oversight boards, including in Daytona Beach, Delray Beach, Gainesville, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach. These boards already are mostly limited to investigating and issuing independent reports with suggestions to law enforcement agencies.
Currently, citizen oversight boards can only review cases once the agency has released its own internal affairs probe. If the board decides the investigation was incomplete, it can tell the agency and also provide input on the officer's punishment.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass praised the legislation.
"These men and women do not need to be scrutinized again and again by a committee that has no idea what they're talking about," Glass said at a press conference.
The bill cleared the House with a partisan 81-28 vote earlier this year. During the debate, Rep. Christopher Benjamin, a Democrat from Miami Gardens, Fla., opposed the measure, saying, "We don't believe the police can best investigate the police."
