House Judiciary Committee Holds Hearing on Racial Profiling and Police Brutality

The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on June 10, 2020, to examine the crisis of racial profiling, police brutality, and the lost trust between police departments and the communities they serve. The hearing comes in the wake of the death of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man who was killed by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020. The hearing featured testimony from family members, activists, and law enforcement officials, as well as bills aimed at addressing police misconduct and building trust between law enforcement and communities.

Key Takeaways:

• The Justice in Policing Act of 2020, introduced by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has 202 cosponsors in the House of Representatives and 36 cosponsors in the Senate.
• The bill aims to hold police accountable for misconduct, change the culture of law enforcement, and build trust between law enforcement and communities.
• Witnesses testifying at the hearing included Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, Vanita Gupta, President and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and Art Acevedo, President of the Major City Chiefs.
• Recommendations made during the hearing included the use of body cameras, de-escalation training for police, and the creation of a national database to track police misconduct.
• The hearing also highlighted the need for greater accountability in law enforcement, including the use of independent review boards and the creation of a national registry of police officers with a history of misconduct.

Statistics:

• 202 cosponsors in the House of Representatives for the Justice in Policing Act of 2020
• 36 cosponsors in the Senate for the Justice in Policing Act of 2020
• 100 participants in the virtual briefing convened by Chair Bass and Chairman Nadler on May 28, 2020
• 35 police departments that participated in the consent decree agreements negotiated by the Justice Department during the Obama Administration

Sources:

• House Judiciary Committee
• Congressional Black Caucus
• Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Kamala Harris (D-CA)
• House of Representatives
• Senate
• Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
• National Urban League
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund
• National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
• Center for Policing Equity
• U.S. Department of Justice
• Obama Administration