Reform measure falls short

Pennsylvania lawmakers have approved several police reform measures in recent weeks, but one Senate bill in particular — requiring that use-of-force incidents be tracked and reported — falls woefully short of real reform.

While police departments would be required to report all incidents to Pennsylvania State Police, the information would not be available to the public. And the reporting requirements do not include listing the race and gender of those whom police use force against.

Those are serious shortcomings that must be addressed jointly by the state Senate and House, which has yet to take up the bill, if the proposal is to contribute to meaningful police reform.

The bill, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, would require the state police to gather the information from all police departments and deliver an annual report to lawmakers and the state attorney general. The intent is to identify overly aggressive officers and intervene before a pattern of excessive force results in physical harm and lawsuits.

The report, however, would not be made public. That lack of transparency is unacceptable and must be addressed.

Equally important is information about the race and gender of those identified in the report. The protests and calls for reform have focused on the disproportionate use of force against Blacks and other minorities. Without actual information, the report fails to address a crucial component of police reform.

Mr. Costa said that although he wanted language on race and ethnicity included, he felt it was more important to reach consensus on the measure. The Senate passed the bill unanimously.

Efforts to reform police procedures have taken priority in the Legislature and will likely result in several pieces of new legislation. Those proposals, however, must not sidestep the issue of Blacks and minorities being subjected to use of force in disproportionately high numbers.

Gathering the information for an annual report is a good first step in identifying problems in policing, but the report must include race and gender and be available for public inspection.