US Democrats propose sweeping legislation to reform police amid protests

US House Democrats unveiled police reform bill on June 8 amid ongoing protests against racial discrimination and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd's death. The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 was introduced by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bas, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senators Corey Booker and Kamala Harris, and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler.

The proposed bill calls for sweeping reforms in policing by prohibiting chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock and limiting the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement. It also prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious and discriminatory profiling.

The bill mandates the use of dashboard cameras and body cameras for federal offices and the establishment of a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent problematic officers who are fired from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability. It reforms qualified immunity so that individuals are not barred from recovering damages when police violate their constitutional rights.

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'Never again'

While unveiling the Justice in Policing Act, Bas said that thousands of people are coming together in every state to demand a change that ends police brutality, holds police officers accountable and calls for transparency. She lamented the fact that black communities in America have been marching for over 100 years against police abuse and calling for the police to protect and serve them as they do others. 

“Never again should the world be subjected to witnessing what we saw on the streets in Minnesota with George Floyd,” Bas said in a statement.

Kanya Bennett, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), acknowledged that the bill takes significant steps to protect people and ensure accountability against police violence. However, Bennett raised concerns over the provision of “hundreds of millions” more to law enforcement saying it’s a non-starter for the ACLU.

“While many of the reforms in this bill are laudable and vital, more must be done to change the role of police in our society fundamentally,” she said.

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