Criminal Justice

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was introduced last Congress, and, with the support of my Democratic colleagues, the bill passed the House. It, unfortunately, did not advance in the Senate. As you know, the bill increases accountability for law-enforcement misconduct by eliminating qualified immunity, restricts the use of certain policing practices like the chokehold, enhances transparency and data collection, and establishes best practices and training requirements.

I am a supporter of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and I am urging my colleagues to pass this important piece of legislation. Our antiquated criminal justice system has long allowed law enforcement to utilize excessive force and prejudicial policing practices while avoiding accountability. The recent murder of Tyre Nichols served as a tragic and stunning reminder. We need to end pretextual stops, allowing police officers to stop cars even though they lack even reasonable suspicion of the commission of a crime. It’s just racial profiling hiding behind legalese and a subtle way to circumvent the constitutional rights of low-income black and brown men. We should get rid of toxic so-called “elite squads” like the one that killed Tyre Nichols because the culture within these squads compels them to run roughshod on our streets and contribute to a breakdown in trust between police and the community they’re meant to serve.  It is not enough to hold out-of-line officers accountable; we need extensive reform with de-escalation training, selective bias training, and better tools for policing.

We can and must do better to avoid tragedies and improve public safety. Investing in our communities through unarmed first-responder agencies, mental health and crisis-support treatment options, community intervention programs, and re-entry programs as good first steps toward progress. I will never stop working to support and enact changes that will make our country safer for all Americans.