Emanuel Cleaver: Justice in Policing Act is a critically important bill

(From Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)

Americans across the country are speaking out and demanding action to address the crisis of systemic racism and police brutality. House Democrats are listening and we are responding by advancing the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act, legislation to hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement, and build trust between law enforcement and our local communities.

Last week, House Democrats passed this critically important bill with bipartisan support, which would take various steps to transform policing in America, including:

• Banning all chokeholds;
• Banning no-knock warrants in drug cases;

• Ending racial, religious, and discriminatory profiling;

• Eliminating the qualified immunity doctrine that has long been a barrier to holding police officers accountable for wrongful conduct;
• Establishing a National Police Misconduct Registry to improve transparency and prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave one agency from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability;
• Requiring data collection, including mandatory body cameras and dashboard cameras;
• Establishing new standards for policing and the Public Safety Innovation grants for community-based organizations to help reimagine policing in their communities.

Now that the House has passed our version of police reform, I will be working to put pressure on the Senate and the Administration to take action, and your voice in this effort is crucial. If you want to see concrete reform to end police brutality and racial profiling, I invite you to join us in sending a message to President Trump and Senate Republicans that we need comprehensive police reform now.

Please visit JusticeInPolicing.us now to learn about the bill. You will also have the option to share your thoughts on the bill, and you may choose to become a citizen co-sponsor.

The American people have made it unequivocally clear that now is the time for change. We cannot allow congressional timidity to prevent us from making the changes necessary to fix the culture of policing in America. As Congress debates police reform, I will continue to push the current Administration and the U.S. Senate to be a part of the solution.