INTRODUCTION OF THE GEORGE FLOYD LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST AND INTEGRITY ACT OF 2020; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 104
(Extensions of Remarks - June 04, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF THE GEORGE FLOYD LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST AND INTEGRITY
ACT OF 2020
______
HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE
of texas
in the house of representatives
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to announce to the House that
I have introduced the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity
Act of 2020 (LETIA) to modernize law enforcement training, practices
and procedures, and to address the issue of police accountability and
build trust between police departments and the communities they serve.
Over the past two decades, tensions between police and communities of
color have grown as allegations of bias-based policing by law
enforcement agents, sometimes supported by data collection efforts and
video evidence, have increased in number and frequency.
This legislation is designed to provide incentives for local police
departments to voluntarily adopt performance-based standards to
minimize incidents of misconduct, improve operations and enhance
community accountability.
Since the tragic police-involved shooting of Michael Brown in
Ferguson, Missouri, there has been public outcry for Congressional
action to address police accountability and public safety issues
through the adoption of substantive law enforcement policy reforms.
Despite the fact that the majority of law enforcement officers
perform their duties professionally and without bias, the relationship
between the police and some of minority communities has deteriorated to
such a degree that federal action is required to begin addressing the
issue.
With recent Washington Post reports of more than 1000 reported
police-involved shooting fatalities in the last year, the time is long
past for bipartisan action.
The George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2020
provides incentives for local police organizations to voluntarily adopt
performance-based standards to ensure that incidents of deadly force or
misconduct will be minimized through appropriate management and
training protocols and properly investigated, should they occur.
The legislation authorizes the Department of Justice to work
cooperatively with independent accreditation, law enforcement and
community-based organizations to further develop and refine the
accreditation standards, and authorizes the Attorney General to make
grants to law enforcement agencies for the purpose of obtaining
accreditation from certified law enforcement accreditation
organizations.
Beyond the human toll created by law enforcement accountability
issues, there remains the fiscal impact created by the high cost of
litigation settlements for police abuse claims.
Currently, there are no federally recognized minimum standards to
follow for operating a police department.
The ad hoc nature of police management has left many officers and
agencies in the dark about how to cope with changes in their
communities.
While most cities fail to systematically track the cost of
litigation, the cost reports for major cities can prove staggering.
In New York City alone, during Mayor Michael Bloomberg's three term
tenure, NYPD payouts were in excess of $1 billion dollars for policing
claims.
For small departments, the cost of a single high-profile incident
could prove crippling in its impact on public safety.
While the Department of Justice has a range of criminal and civil
authority to address policing issues, the Civil Rights Division will
never have the resources necessary to investigate more than a small
fraction of those departments engaged in unconstitutional conduct, even
with the enhanced funding and task force authority granted by this
legislation.
Through the support of a robust accreditation regime, like that
existing for the healthcare industry, Congress can ensure that all
communities have the best trained and managed police departments.
Only by establishing acceptable police operations standards can we
begin to address issues like use of force before they occur and heal
the rifts within our communities.
Madam Speaker, I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in
memory of George Floyd and for all Members to join me in sponsoring the
George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2020 (LETIA).
____________________