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Democratic Party Lawmakers Push for Major US Police Reforms

Ken Bredemeier

   WASHINGTON - Democratic Party lawmakers are calling Monday for the
   biggest overhaul of the country's policing laws in decades, setting up
   a new clash with President Donald Trump, who is demanding tough law
   enforcement.

   In the wake of the death two weeks ago of George Floyd, a 46-year-old
   black man held in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the
   Democrats are aiming to broaden police accountability, track
   "problematic" officers through a "national police misconduct registry"
   and lower the bar for victims of alleged police brutality to sue police
   for violations of their civil rights.

   Democrats have scheduled hearings beginning Wednesday in the House of
   Representatives and hope to pass what they are calling the "Justice in
   Policing Act of 2020" by the end of this month. To become law, the bill
   would also have to be passed in the Republican-controlled Senate, where
   a hearing is scheduled for next week.

   Past congressional attempts at police reform and gun control
   legislation have failed, however, and the extent to which Republicans
   might join in the effort to approve policing reforms is unclear.
   Congressman Kevin McCarthy, leader of the minority House Republicans,
   says he believes the two parties "can find common ground."

   But Republicans often take their cue on legislation from Trump, who
   said on Twitter Sunday, "I want great and well paid LAW ENFORCEMENT. I
   want LAW & ORDER!"

     Sleepy Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats want to "DEFUND THE
     POLICE". I want great and well paid LAW ENFORCEMENT. I want LAW &
     ORDER!
     -- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) [1]June 7, 2020

   In the outline of their legislation, the Democrats said, "Persistent,
   unchecked bias in policing and a history of lack of accountability is
   wreaking havoc on the Black community. Cities are literally on fire
   with the pain and anguish wrought by the violence visited upon black
   and brown bodies."

   The legislation seeks to ban chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock
   warrants in drug cases at the federal level, while pressuring state and
   local governments to enact similar prohibitions by withholding federal
   funding for police forces.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1269617458354282502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

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