AP: ” A bipartisan police reform package was signed into law Thursday by North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, emphasizing success of enacting provisions from a task force he commissioned following George Floyd’s murder over panel recommendations left out.
Backers of the legislation, which received near unanimous approval from the General Assembly, say it will rid departments of derelict officers and give mental health assistance to others on the force. The provisions address law enforcement shortcomings during a time of national focus on racial inequity and the deaths of Black residents at the hands of police, such as Floyd last year in Minneapolis.
Law enforcement groups and state House members also made recommendations contained within the new law.
“We need to strive every single day to make sure that our criminal justice system works free of bias and racial discrimination. And we know that too often it falls short,” the Democratic governor said in a bill-signing ceremony outside the Executive Mansion. “Two things that I would want to say about the signing of this legislation. Number one, this is an important step. But number two, there is more to do.””