Pennsylvania governor vetoes bill preventing identification of police officers who use force

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf on Monday vetoed [veto message, PDF] HB 1538 [text, PDF], a bill that would criminally punish public officials that release information about police officers within 30 days of their causing death or serious harm. Wolf explained his veto:

these situations ... demand utmost transparency, otherwise a harmful mistrust will grow between police officers and the communities they protect and serve. Further, I cannot allow local police department policies to be superseded and transparency to be criminalized, as local departments are best equipped to decide what information is appropriate to release to the public.

Both the Pennsylvania House and Senate voted in favor of the bill with large majorities—151-32[legislative materials] in the House and 39-9 [legislative materials] in the Senate—enough to overcome the veto should the bill come to a vote again. [MORE]