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State Senate Passes Bill Requiring External Investigations For Police-Involved Deaths

Governor Must Decide Whether To Sign Or Veto

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wisconsin state capitol at night

A bill that requires external investigations for deaths that involve police has passed the Legislature and now heads to Gov. Scott Walker for his signature or veto.

It’s been a long road to this point for the family of Michael Bell. He was killed by a Kenosha police officer in 2004. His father, Michael Bell Sr., sat in the Senate gallery on Monday with supporters, family, and friends of victims of police-involved deaths, waiting for the vote.

“We’ve been working at this for a long time,” Bell Sr. said. “We’re not against law enforcement, but we are against a system that that doesn’t have checks and balances.”

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The bill requires independent investigations for all citizen deaths that involve police officers.

After the state Senate passed the bill in a voice vote, supporters shared emotional hugs. One of theose supporters is Amelia Royko Maurer. She was Paul Heenan’s roommate. Heenan was shot and killed by police in 2012 in Madison.

“This is a step in the right direction for Wisconsin,” Maurer said, “most definitely … leading the nation with this bill.”

The Assembly passed the bill earlier this year. The governor hasn’t indicated publicly if he will sign the bill.