US senators call for mandatory reporting of police killings
Source: The Guardian
A plan to force all American law enforcement agencies to report killings by their officers was unveiled by US senators on Tuesday, a day after the Guardian published an investigation into the fatal use of force by police.
Senators Barbara Boxer of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey proposed legislation that would demand all states submit reports to the US Department of Justice that they said would bring transparency and accountability to law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Too many members of the public and police officers are being killed, and we dont have reliable statistics to track these tragic incidents, Boxer said in a statement. This bill will ensure that we know the full extent of the problem so we can save lives on all sides.
Aides to the senators said their bill, the Police Reporting of Information, Data and Evidence (Pride) Act, would force mandatory reporting on the same data being collected by The Counted, a database published by the Guardian beginning this week.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/02/us-senators-call-for-mandatory-reporting-police-killings
gopiscrap
(23,768 posts)erronis
(15,470 posts)msongs
(67,502 posts)happyslug
(14,779 posts)Under the Union Laws of the US, Unions do NOT have the right to discipline they own members EXCEPT for anti-union activities (and then that is limited to expulsion).
Do NOT blame the union for District Attorney's NOT investigation or prosecuting police offices, blame the people who HAVE the power to discipline the police, their local Government, the Local District Attorneys and the local Judges.
JustAnotherGen
(32,043 posts)SoapBox
(18,791 posts)BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Accountability for police departments!
PADemD
(4,482 posts)Also deaths while in custody and the names of the officers who had custody. Any officer who has more than one prisoner death while in his/her custody should be investigated by the Justice Department.
No classifying a death as a "heart attack" or "suicide" to avoid reporting it. They should ALL be reported.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)samsingh
(17,605 posts)glowing
(12,233 posts)The FBI doesn't keep track of the numbers of citizens it kills either; and they barely investigate any of the instances. The Feds need to be held to account as well.
d_legendary1
(2,586 posts)We keep statistics on drunk drivers, murderers, and rapists. Why can't we keep statistics on deaths by law enforcement?
democrank
(11,115 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)Why? White bullies are paid to keep black upstarts in their place. The fascists need racism to thrive. We must hate each other, lest we notice the fascists.
sadoldgirl
(3,431 posts)does the federal government have the right to
dictate this demand to the states or even the
counties? Could there be an argument about
states' rights?
vkkv
(3,384 posts)Now we HAVE to report PEOPLE WE KILL ??? Really??
libdem4life
(13,877 posts)Dash and Helmet cameras for all. Easily paid for out of the cut in "settlements". Then, make them buy Professional Insurance and insure themselves. That will be the quickest way for "policing themselves". The pocketbook, ultimately, the job.
niyad
(113,963 posts)happyslug
(14,779 posts)Unless the law has an effective punishment (and that it is enforced) this law is meaningless. Cutting funds, in my opinion, is not enough, the failure to report should subject someone to jail time. Without that punishment, then this law will be as useless as the existing law requiring Reporting of Police killers.
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/s1476
The bill was introduced but NO text is available at the present time:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1476