WTOP is reporting that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams has not decided whether he will sign the “First Amendment Rights and Police Standards Act of 2004” which was passed by a 12-1 vote in the D.C. Council last year.
Art Spitzer of the American Civil Liberties Union said, “It’s not unusual for the mayor to take full time with a bill. I understand he’s been ill — maybe that stuff’s been pushed back on his desk … It would be a shame for him to veto the bill, but the Council would probably override his veto. It’s not good for him to take a public stance against the First Amendment.”
The bill was written after an investigation into police practices during mass demonstrations which revealed that MPD officers violated protesters civil rights. During public hearings on the legislation last year, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Ramsey stated that his department had already made many of the suggested improvements internally.
