TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The Florida Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday in a case involving the Florida Police Benevolent Association, the city of Tallahassee and Marsy's Law.
The city argued whether or not officers are considered 'persons' when they are on duty and if they have the right to claim victims' rights under Marsy's Law.
The city believes if police officers can claim victims' rights and then have anonymity, then all police encounters going forward would be done in private - creating a transparency issue.
The court had an issue with the city saying whether police officers were persons or not, because all human beings are persons regardless of their occupation.
The Police Benevolent Association, representing the Tallahassee Police Department officers at the center of the case, argued that the officers are considered victims because they were attacked on duty and have the right to have protections.
The court then questioned whether the officers are just protecting their names, which they display on their uniforms, or if it includes other things like badge number, appearance descriptions that could identify them, etc... .
There was also the question of detailing who a victim is in these situations and then the confrontation clause of a victim and abuser.
The court will provide its decision at a later time.
The case is related to two separate shootings involving Tallahassee Police Department officers in 2020.
Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect the Florida Supreme Court case is related to two shootings that occurred in 2020.
