Courts Manage to Hold Some Police Officers Accountable Despite Stalls to Reform

Although criminal justice reform has lost a lot of its post-George Floyd momentum, it’s becoming increasingly common for officers accused of use-of-force to stand trial in court and even be convicted, Russell Contreras reports for Axios. A handful of reforms that managed to be passed before the backlash against them intensified are now making it easier to put police officers on trial. The gradual but noticeable shift in the courts has been driven by the actions of state and local prosecutors as well as new state laws, according to Walter Katz, vice president of criminal justice at Arnold Ventures. However, police unions still hold considerable influence in local and state elections and may resist some reforms.