A national registry of more than 7,000 police officers who have been stripped of their law enforcement licenses is being readied for use by police agencies to identify officers with troubled histories, USA Today reports. The registry, which for the first time would give police agencies direct access to a list of decertified officers, is designed to help avoid hiring officers ousted from jobs elsewhere. Details were discussed at two Criminal Justice Journalists programs in the last year.
So far, 20 states are contributing to a computer database being assembled by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST). The database could be ready this fall. The database will flag only officers who have been decertified by state accreditation agencies. Project director Ray Franklin says incidents of misconduct that don’t result in decertification could be added as the database expands.
Link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-24-police-registry_x.htm