Alabama lawmakers on Wednesday approved enhanced legal protections for police officers, changes that Republicans said show support for law enforcement but Democrats called “a green light to kill Black folks.”
The Alabama Legislature gave final approval to the legislation that sets legal standards for the use of force and provides for an immunity hearing. The bill states that an officer “shall be justified” in the use of physical force as long as it is not constitutionally excessive force or “recklessly” outside of the officer’s discretionary authority.
