Rep. Fudge Cosponsors Newly Introduced Justice in Policing Act

Press Release

Today, Rep. Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11) supported introduction of the Justice in Policing Act, comprehensive legislation to increase police accountability and transparency and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve. Rep. Fudge is an original cosponsor of the bill, which was introduced by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (CA-37), House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), and Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA).

"When we heard George Floyd's plea, "I can't breathe,' and witnessed the last eight minutes and 46 seconds of his life, it was hard not to be reminded of the hundreds of unarmed Black men and women killed at the hands of law enforcement," said Rep. Fudge. "As people all over the country band together in outrage, it is time for Congress to hear and answer their cries for help by taking legislative action.

"The Justice in Policing Act includes long overdue, bold reforms that will help end the police brutality and racial profiling that have plagued our communities for too many years. By holding police accountable, increasing transparency of police misconduct, banning chokeholds, and making a number of other needed changes, we can begin to rebuild the severed relationship between the police and the people they are sworn to serve."

The Justice in Policing Act of 2020:

Prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious and discriminatory profiling, and mandates training on racial, religious, and discriminatory profiling for all law enforcement;

Bans chokeholds and carotid holds at the federal level and conditions law enforcement funding for state and local governments banning chokeholds;

Bans no-knock warrants in drug cases at the federal level and conditions law enforcement funding for state and local governments banning no-knock warrants at the local and state level;

Limits the transfer of military-grade equipment to state and local law enforcement;

Mandates the use of dashboard cameras and body cameras for federal offices and requires state and local law enforcement to use existing federal funds to ensure the use of police body cameras;

Establishes a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave on agency from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability;

Amends federal criminal statute from "willfulness" to a "recklessness" standard to successfully identify and prosecute police misconduct;

Reforms qualified immunity so that individuals are not barred from recovering damages when police violate their constitutional rights;

Establishes public safety innovation grants for community-based organizations to create local commissions and task forces to help communities to re-imagine and develop concrete, just and equitable public safety approaches;

Creates law enforcement development and training programs to develop best practices and requires the creation of law enforcement accreditation standard recommendations based on President Obama's Taskforce on 21st Century policing;

Requires state and local law enforcement agencies to report use of force data, disaggregated by race, sex, disability, religion, age;

Improves the use of pattern and practice investigations at the federal level by granting the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division subpoena power and creates a grant program for state attorneys general to develop authority to conduct independent investigations into problematic police departments.

Establishes a Department of Justice task force to coordinate the investigation, prosecution and enforcement efforts of federal, state and local governments in cases related to law enforcement misconduct.

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