Marsy’s Law Is a Gift to Bad Cops: New at Reason

Officers claiming they have a victim’s right to privacy after shooting someone is another unintended consequence of Marsy’s Law and its campaign, Marsy’s Law for All, which seeks to enshrine victims’ rights protections in every state constitution and the U.S. Constitution. Recent occurrences of officers availing themselves of Marsy’s Law have civil libertarians and policing experts concerned.

Researchers like Cato Institute criminal justice, race, and policing associate Jonathan Blanks call victims’ rights for cops “absurd.” Police officers wear their names on their uniform and act in the name of the public in public. By nature, their names should also be public after a shooting.

Police officers, of course, can be legitimate victims of crime. But giving police officers the right to invoke privacy protections in use-of-force incidents could have grave effects on community trust, writes Matthew Harwood in his latest at Reason.

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