The Indiana State Police Alliance came out against a qualified immunity bill authored by Sen. Mike Braun, adding the lawmaker misrepresented the state’s law enforcement community on the issue.
“Despite assertions to the contrary, the Indiana State Police Alliance as well as the Indiana State Police Department, did not aid in the development of this legislation and did not give our support for the bills language prior to its release,” the group said about the Indiana senator, the only Republican so far to back some form of repealing qualified immunity against police officers who could otherwise face lawsuits.
The statement followed a contentious battle between Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Braun after he introduced the bill, the Reforming Qualified Immunity Act, last week. The proposal would, among other things, eliminate the present qualified immunity for officers that shields them from civil lawsuits if their actions did not violate a “clearly established” law.
The measure would give qualified immunity to law enforcement if the behavior of an officer “had previously been authorized or required by federal or state statute or regulation” or if a court decided it is “consistent with the Constitution and federal laws.”
The issue of qualified immunity has become a topic of national discussion after the death of a black man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a spate of officer-involved incidents in recent years.
Carlson took issue with Braun’s legislation on his Friday night program and invited the senator on to the show to defend its merits on Monday evening.
“I checked with the Indiana State Police Indiana Sheriffs Association Fraternal Order of Police [and] spent over an hour with them last week to make sure I wasn’t off base,” Braun said during his Monday appearance.
When asked later by Carlson which law enforcement groups were endorsing the bill, Braun replied, “They’re not endorsing it, but they said it was a good template to work from.”
“But why aren’t they endorsing it then? You’ve cited them twice as supporters of this idea, but they’re not endorsing your bill?” Carlson asked. “So they don’t actually support it. So why are you bringing them up as evidence that it’s a good idea?”
The ISPA disputed Braun’s claim.
“In the wake of Sen. Braun’s recent interview with Tucker Carlson, the Indiana State Police Alliance is shocked at the inaccuracy is presented on that show,” the group said. “For clarification, the organization’s leadership spoke to Sen. Braun days after he released legislative language on qualified immunity reform for police officers.”
Although Braun’s bill is endorsed by conservative organizations such as Freedom Works, Right on Crime, and Americans for Prosperity, qualified immunity is a third rail the Republican Party did not want to include in its police reform bill, authored by South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott.
