CNHI Deputy National Editor Jim Zachary 

All of us are held accountable by someone.

We all answer to someone.

Everyone has a boss, even the boss.

It is reasonable for the people of Georgia to want police to be accountable to the public they serve.

No police force, no chiefs, want what happened in Memphis resulting in the death of Tyre Nichols to happen under their watch. The vast majority of police officers do not want to be associated, in any way, with the kind of behavior seen in that Memphis special unit.

The vast majority of law enforcement professionals were shocked and disgusted when they saw the videos.

Georgia state Rep. Sandra Scott of Rex said this week, “The time is now to pass common sense accountability legislation. In the wake of Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many more, it is time for common sense police accountability, ethical policing and anti-racial profiling legislation.”

Scott, along with Representatives Kim Schofield and Viola Davis have introduced a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to provide a body-worn camera to every officer and require the cameras be turned on during interactions with the public.

What the lawmakers are asking for is reasonable.

Many departments already require body cameras and fully understand that the cameras, while creating transparency in policing, also serves to protect officers if they are falsely accused of bad behavior.

The proposals also include standards for how police officers should respond to protests or demonstrations and would remove what is known as qualified immunity.

The Ethical Policing Act would authorize citizen review boards with the authority to examine complaints and disciplinary records, policing culture, initiate independent investigations and publish findings and recommendations.

The proposal would require police departments to provide de-escalation training to officers to minimize the need for the use of force.

It is certainly acceptable if fellow lawmakers want to tweak the language in the proposed bill and even change some provisions.

What is not acceptable is doing nothing.

People doing right things in right ways accept and embrace accountability and so should Georgia lawmakers and law enforcement agencies.

Jim Zachary is the editor of The Valdosta Daily Times, CNHI’s director of newsroom training and development and president emeritus of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation.