H.B. 5349, An Act Concerning the Timely Reporting By the Police of a Death

House Bill 5349 is a good initial step toward police accountability by requiring the timely reporting of a death to the next of kin by police officers—a measure that should have already been in place. This bill arises from the abject failure of police in Bridgeport to notify the families of two Black women—Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls—that their loved ones had passed away. These unacceptable tragedies illuminate a reality felt by many in Connecticut: that Black and Latinx people are disproportionately mistreated by police and subject to police violence. Justice requires creating a future where the role of policing is greatly diminished, while at the same time holding existing institutions of policing accountable for the harms they incur on the community. House Bill 5349 represents an opportunity to further justice, and as such, the ACLU-CT strongly supports the bill and urges this Committee to do the same.