DeLauro Cosponsors Justice in Policing Act of 2020

June 9, 2020
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC — (June 9, 2020) Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), released the following statement after consponsoring theJustice in Policing Act of 2020(link is external) and joining Congressional leaders in moment of silence to honor the lives of those lost to acts of police brutality.

"I was proud to stand with members of House and Senate Leadership and members of the Congressional Black Caucus yesterday to introduce the Justice in Policing Act, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the legislation. This legislation is a timely, critical, bold and transformative start to addressing the issues millions of Americans have been protesting about. I believe we also need to reorganize funding activities for law enforcement in a way that works to bring police and communities closer together, not further apart. We must also change our laws to enable swift action to prosecute misconduct by police officers, improve training and transparency, and create a national use of force standard for police who are charged to protect and serve our communities all of which are included in the Justice in Policing Act. We owe it to those who have died and I pledge to continue working on these critical issues."

The Justice in Policing Act would:

1) Work to end racial & religious profiling;

2) Save lives by banning chokeholds & no-knock warrants;

3) Hold police accountable in court;

4) Investigate police misconduct;

5) Empower our communities to reimagine public safety in an equitable and just way;

6) Change the culture of law enforcement with training to build integrity and trust;

7) Improve transparency by collecting data on police misconduct and use-of-force; and

8) Make lynching a federal crime.

In addition to the Justice in Policing Act, DeLauro is a cosponsor of a number of legislative initiatives that would have real, impactful and long-term effects on police-community relations:

  • H.R. 125, the Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2019, which authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to states that require law enforcement officers are trained on diversity and sensitivity, and require an independent prosecutor to be appointed to investigate and prosecute an alleged offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury.
  • H.Res. 988, a Resolution condemning police brutality
  • H.R. 1714, the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, legislation that would repeal a Defense Department Program that gives military equipment to local police offices.
  • H.Con.Res. 100, the Truth, Racial Health and Transformation Resolution, legislation that would help reflect, embrace, and address the unprecedented diversity and unparalleled racialized history of the United States. The intent of this resolution is to change the way that people in America think about issues of racism by exposing and jettisoning the belief in the myth of a hierarchy of human value based on superficial physical characteristics such as skin color and facial features.

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