WFLA
Rachel Tucker
11/30/2023
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida law granting certain rights to crime victims does not apply to the Tallahassee police officers whose identities were concealed after using lethal force, the Florida Supreme Court said Thursday.
The court overturned a decision from the First Court of Appeal, which ruled in favor of the Florida Police Benevolent Association (PFBA), a statewide police union that sought to keep the officers’ identities private.
The PFBA filed an emergency injunction after the City of Tallahassee proposed releasing the names of two officers who fatally shot suspects during separate incidents in May of 2020. Each shooting was investigated by a grand jury, which determined the lethal encounters were “lawful and justifiable use of force,” court documents state.
The issue worked its way through the courts over the years and ended up appearing before Florida Supreme Court justices. The constitutional amendment in question, Marsy’s Law, was approved by Florida voters in 2018. It establishes several rights for crime victims and is often cited as the reason why police choose not to release their names.