Biden Will Issue an Executive Order on Police Reform
On the second anniversary of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police, President Joe Biden will sign a police reform executive order — a move eagerly awaited after legislative efforts failed.
Biden’s executive action on Wednesday will establish a national police registry for officers fired due to misconduct, and requires that all federal law enforcement agencies regularly submit records such as substantiated complaints and disciplinary actions to the database. The action also requires federal agencies to thoroughly investigate incidents involving use of deadly force. It also bans federal law enforcement officers from using chokeholds and so-called carotid restraints unless deadly force is authorized. And it includes new tools to screen and vet officers as well as requiring them to intervene to stop the use of excessive force when they see it, and that they administer medical aid to injured people.
The order comes after a leaked proposal was blasted by law enforcement representatives. The new order was a product of more than 100 hours of conversations and over 120 meetings with police unions, families who lost loved ones, criminal justice advocates and members of Congress, admittedly resulting in an action that is unlikely to fulfill the entire wishlists from any of the parties.
