De Gette Joins Congressional Democrats to Introduce Sweeping Bill to End Police Brutality, Increase Accountability

Press Release

After millions of Americans took to the streets in recent weeks to demand racial justice, a group of Congressional Democrats today introduced sweeping legislation to end police brutality and hold law enforcement officials accountable.

The Justice in Policing Act -- of which U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) is an original co-sponsor -- would, among other things, develop a national standard for use of force, ban the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants by police, limit legal protections for police and create a national registry to track police misconduct.

"It's not enough just to say Black lives matter. We need immediate policy changes that will fundamentally transform the system of policing in this country and stop the senseless killings of Black Americans by law enforcement officials," DeGette said. "We can't wait until the next George Floyd or Breonna Taylor. The American people are crying out for change and Congress must take action now."

On the issue of police accountability, The Justice in Policing Act will reform qualified immunity, grant the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division subpoena power, and incentivize states to conduct pattern and practice investigations, which help identify the repeated use of excessive force, biased policing and unconstitutional practices by law enforcement.
In order to increase transparency in policing, the legislation will create a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent problem-officers from changing jurisdictions to avoid accountability. And the bill will mandate state and local law enforcement agencies report use of force data, disaggregated by race, sex, disability, religion and age.

Transforming police practices is another key tenant of the legislation. The Justice in Policing Act will mandate training on racial bias and the duty to intervene, ban no-knock warrants in drug cases, and end the use of chokeholds and carotid holds.

The legislation also seeks to demilitarize local police by limiting the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement. And it would require federal uniformed police officers to wear body cameras, while also directing state and local law enforcement to use existing federal funds to ensure the use of police body cameras.

The legislation is part of a broader package of bills that DeGette is working to get passed through the U.S. House of Representatives -- in collaboration with the Congressional Black Caucus -- in the aftermath of the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans at the hands of law enforcement officials.

A legislative hearing on the Justice in Policing Act is expected Wednesday in the House Judiciary Committee.

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