
Virginia considers bill to withhold all officers’ names - morisy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2016/02/24/secret-police-virginia-considers-bill-to-withhold-all-officers-names/
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bediger4000
Is this at all in line with the US Constitution? If accused, you're supposed
to be able to confront your accusers. If they're all "Officer Redacted", such
a law would seem to run afoul of that provision.

Also, is this a good idea? What problem does it solve? Pacifying police
officers who are afraid of an "open season" on cops? Stats don't bear out any
"open season". Lots more police got shot in the 90s than are getting shot now.
What price does this law have? Not getting to confront your accuser is a
pretty big deal, it seems to me. If that takes place, any defendant is pretty
much just dealing with vague "The Authorities" \- no idea who to call as
witnesses and so forth.

The only problem I can think that this solves, and it isn't worth the cost, is
that it keeps police officers from getting their names splashed all over The
Internet when they do something stupid or authoritarian.

