PENNSYLVANIA, USA — A statewide database is now up and running in Pennsylvania that will be used by law enforcement agencies in the hiring of new officers.
The Municipal Police Officers' Education and Training Commission (MPOETC) established the database. It will contain information on law enforcement officers such as if they have a history of criminal charges or a history of discipline for actions ranging from excessive force to discrimination.
For the first time in the state’s history, law enforcement agencies will also be required to maintain and provide all employment records, including performance evaluations and reasons for separation, pertaining to a previously employed law enforcement officer to a prospective hiring agency.
Law enforcement agencies will be able to use the database to augment the enhanced background investigation process for the hiring officers.
The database will contain information for:
- More than 1,300 agencies
- 30,000-35,000 officers
- Pennsylvania State Police Troopers and Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement Officers are included
Police departments who discover 'red flags' in candidates and who decide to hire those officers anyway will also need to fill out a hiring report explaining their reasoning for doing so. That hiring report will be available to the public through a right to know request.
“This is an important tool for our law enforcement agencies. It will help agencies identify potential red flags in candidates, which helps agencies invest in better employees they’ll want to train and retain and keep officers with a history of misconduct away from roles where they can cause further harm," Gov. Wolf said. “Law enforcement reform is crucial to improving public safety. This, along with the reforms my administration has implemented over the past year, will make our commonwealth safer for everyone.”
The database was created as part of a number of reforms Governor Tom Wolf signed into law last year. Act 57 of 2020 was unanimously approved in the General Assembly and signed by the Governor on July 14, 2020. Under that law the database had to operational by this year and it was launched July 14, 2021.
“The database established by MPOETC is an added tool to assist in the hiring process of law enforcement personnel who are ultimately held to a higher standard of professionalism throughout the commonwealth,” said Colonel Robert Evanchick, commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police. “I would like to thank all of the MPOETC commissioners, staff, information technology personnel, and members of the PSP who worked tirelessly to ensure the database was operational by July 14.”
The state said the development of permanent regulations will occur over the next year in accordance with the Regulatory Review Act and are required to be completed by March 2023. During this time, state leaders sai that MPOETC will seek input and feedback of stakeholders and the public. MPOETC will also use this time to test and refine the database and associated regulations to ensure compliance in carrying out the purposes of Act 57, according to the state.
"We're not perfect. We recognize we have a few 'bad apples' in our bunch, and I think I speak for all of us when I say we want those bad apples out too. We want to continue to do the things we need to do, to restore a reputation that has been tarnished over the past year or so, by the actions of those few thoughtless individuals. We want to nurture that public trust that once again fosters faith in local law enforcement and inspires little girls and boys to become police officers," said York City Police Chief Michael Muldrow. "I commend Governor Wolf, our legislators and the commission for taking these first steps -- with the changes found in Act 57, the new database and the reporting requirements that come with it. It will undoubtedly help to fill in some of the cracks those individuals have been able to slip through. We're going to take it from there, pushing to be best versions of ourselves, not because it's mandated, but because it's the right thing to do."
Currently in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania there are 1,063 municipal law enforcement agencies with more than 22,000 officers.
Learn more about the database here.