Howard Voices Opposition to Anti-Law Enforcement Bill

HARTFORD- State Rep. Greg Howard (R-43) stood in strong opposition to a proposal that makes it harder for law enforcement officers and prosecutors to convict criminals and protect our safety.

The legislation, SB 1071 An Act Concerning Deceptive or Coercive Interrogation Tactics, looks to change the way confessions are treated in criminal proceedings. Under the bill, confessions are presumed to be INVOLUNTARY and INADMISSIBLE as evidence of guilt if it was made by someone during an interrogation while in custody and the law enforcement official used deceptive or coercive tactics.

Under the proposal, to overcome such a presumption, the state must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the confession was voluntary, was not induced by deceptive or coercive tactics and such tactics, if used, did not undermine the reliability of the confession.

Rep. Greg Howard, who is a veteran local police detective, mentioned during debate how this legislation is yet another in a growing list of proposals making it more difficult for police officers to do their job.

Rep. Howard said, “The bill places too high a burden on officers conducting interrogations and makes it harder for officers to do their job. The ‘clear and convincing’ standard is too high a burden of proof and would lead to valid confessions being inadmissible.”

The bill narrowly passed the House of Representatives 80-70 with Rep. Howard voting no.