The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act was first introduced to Congress on Feb. 24, 2021– about nine months after the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. At the time, it passed through the House of Representatives but didn't make it through the Senate.
Tyre Nichols' death, a direct result of police brutality, has sparked conversation surrounding this bill again. The bill's passage is the least that America owes Nichols.
The bill aims to reform the policing industry at the federal level.
Changes in the way police officers go about handling certain situations are outlined in the bill. It places a ban on chokeholds, being the cause of Floyd's death, and no-knock warrants, the cause of Breonna Taylor's death. Also outlined is the fact that the federal government shall halt funding if said dangerous practices continue.
Qualified immunity would also be done away with by passing the bill. Passed in 1967, it is one of the most outdated laws that continuously protects officers from being held accountable when they exert wrongful harm on individuals. In an effort to counter qualified immunity, the bill calls for a change in legal terminology concerning how police officers are prosecuted. Currently, they have to be deemed willful in their actions. The Associated Press states that "In legal contexts, willfulness is intent to commit a crime plus the prior knowledge an action is illegal." The bill would change "willfulness" to "recklessness," which makes it significantly easier for officers to be found guilty.
Additionally, the bill takes steps to prevent prosecutions from needing to occur. Through the training sessions against biased profiling, the requirement of body cameras and dashboard cameras as well as the limitation of military-grade weapons, members of society would be at a lower risk of being harmed by police officers.
In a country plagued by gun violence, society shouldn't have to worry about the police in situations in which they're supposed to help people. This bill has the potential to redefine the policing industry. I believe that all Democrats in Congress would vote in favor; however, I'm not fully convinced that enough, if any, Republicans would.
This is crucial, though. Most Republicans don't subscribe to the ideas of defunding the police and ACAB, so why wouldn't they want federal laws in place that instead instill some trust in the police? This bill doesn't take anything away from the police. It doesn't cut their pay or physically harm them. It just makes it more difficult for them to cause harm and doesn't protect them when they do.
It is time for Congress to get The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act signed into law.
Layne Rey is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. What are your thoughts? Let Layne know by tweeting her @laynerey12.
