City officials want to reform police union contract but experts say change is unlikely

As mayors and city councilors across the nation attempt to reimagine policing in America, the issue of independent arbitrators overturning or lessening disciplinary penalties issued by higher-ups in the department is a roadblock to reform. This privilege is available to officers due to their strong police unions, which campaign to include independent arbitrators in collective bargaining agreements.

From the the article:

"The ultimate chief of a police department is the union president," said Howard Henderson, director of the Center for Justice Research in Houston. "And so the loyalty of officers is challenged, right, because they aren't beholden to the community."

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