Three PA Counties Exclude Probation Officers from Police Misconduct Law

Three Pennsylvania counties, Cameron, Carbon and Elk, exclude probation officers from mandatory participation in a statewide police misconduct database or uploading current misconduct records, saying their participation is “voluntary,” Min Xian reports for Spotlight PA.

Pennsylvania law requires counties to track and store law enforcement officers’ records of previous discipline or if they were fired over particular offenses. When making new hires, agencies must run checks through the database. The law, however, has several ambiguities, including whether probation officers are meant to be included in the system.