States diverge on police reforms after George Floyd killing

By COLLEEN SLEVIN
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) — Democratic lawmakers in California, Maryland and Washington passed far-reaching policing reforms this year in response to the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minnesota. But the first full year of state legislative sessions since the killing sparked a summer of racial justice protests produced a far more mixed response in the rest of the country. A number of states implemented incremental reforms, such as banning chokeholds or tightening rules around use of body cameras. But several Republican-led states responded by granting police even greater authority and passing laws that cracked down on protesters. Police reform legislation also hit a wall in Congress.