Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Do police unions support officers found to violate the law or codes of conduct?
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
By Eric Smith
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YES
Police unions provide legal counsel for officers involved in disciplinary processes both internally and in the courts. Most police unions automatically provide members with representation and are legally required to provide all members with the same rights and resources. Union-negotiated contracts typically provide officers with opportunities for arbitration and appeals of disciplinary action taken against them, drawing out the disciplinary process. Police union contracts and the legal help unions provide act as a significant barrier to disciplinary actions against their members.
When local unions do not protect officers, they can still receive representation from state or national union affiliates.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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