[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 110 (Friday, July 30, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTRODUCTION OF LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST AND INTEGRITY ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 30, 1999

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce the Law 
Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 1999, along with additional 
cosponsors. This legislation adopts a new approach to the dilemma of 
police misconduct. Rather than focusing on episodic incidents, this 
legislation targets hiring and management protocols much farther up the 
chain of causation that can stop incidents of misconduct long before 
they occur. Moreover, this bill focuses on the long-term improvement of 
the law enforcement profession. Further, it strengthens our federal 
prosecutorial tools with demonstrated effectiveness at sanctioning 
misconduct. This bill seizes upon the opportunity to initiate reforms 
that would restore public trust and accountability to law enforcement.
  This legislation provides a direct contrast to other proposals that 
merely provide, without any selection criteria or performance 
benchmarks, a select number of police organizations more money--
proposals which have been widely criticized by the Administration, 
civil rights group and even law enforcement organizations.
  Our bill makes seven concrete steps toward improving law enforcement 
management and misconduct prosecution tools and has the support of a 
broad range of groups, from the NAACP to the Southern States Police 
Benevolent Association:
  1. Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies--The bill requires the 
Justice Department to recommend additional areas for the development of 
national standards for accreditation of law enforcement agencies in 
conjunction with professional law enforcement accreditation 
organizations, principally the Commission on Accreditation for Law 
Enforcement Agencies (``CALEA''). The bill further authorizes the 
Attorney General to make grants to law enforcement agencies for the 
purpose of obtaining accreditation from CALEA.
  2. Law Enforcement Agency Development Programs--The bill authorizes 
the Attorney General to make grants to States, units of local 
government, Indian Tribal Governments, or other public and private 
entities, and multi-jurisdictional or regional consortia to study law 
enforcement agency operations and to develop pilot programs focused on 
effective training, recruitment, hiring, management and oversight of 
law enforcement officers which would provide focused data for the CALEA 
standards promulgation process.
  3. Administrative Due Process Procedures--The bill requires the 
Attorney General to study the prevalence and impact of any law, rule or 
procedure that allows a law enforcement officer to delay for an 
unreasonable or arbitrary period of time the answer to questions posed 
by a local internal affairs officer, prosecutor, or review board on the 
investigative integrity and prosecution of law enforcement misconduct.
  4. Enhanced Funding of Civil Rights Division--The bill authorizes 
appropriations for expenses related to the enforcement against pattern 
and practice discrimination described in section 20401 of the Violent 
Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 14141) and 
authorizes appropriations for expenses related to programs managed by 
the Community Relations Service.
  5. Enhanced Authority in Pattern and Practice Investigations--The 
bill amends section 21041 of the Violent Crime Control and Law 
Enforcement Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C.A. 14141) to create a private cause 
of action for declaratory and injunctive relief relating to police 
pattern and practice discrimination.
  6. Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law--The bill amends section 
242 of Title 18 of the United States Code to expressly define excessive 
use of force and non-consensual sexual conduct as deprivations of 
rights under color of law.
  7. Study of Deaths in Custody--The bill amends section 20101(b) of 
the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C.A. 
13701) to require assurances that States will follow guidelines 
established by the Attorney General for reporting deaths in custody.
  Given the litany of incidents--Rodney King, Amadou Diallo, Abner 
Louima--it should now be clear to all members, and the nation at-large, 
that this issue must be addressed in a bipartisan manner. Faced with 
such compelling evidence, we cannot recommend yet another study of 
problems that we all know to exist. The energies of Congress should be 
focused on the adoption of legislative priorities that address the 
substance of law enforcement management and strengthen the current 
battery of tools available to sanction misconduct.
  As a Congress we have been enthusiastic about supporting programs 
designed to get officers on the street. We must be just as willing to 
support programs designed to train and manage them after they get 
there. The current national climate requires decisive action to 
implement solutions. This legislation initiates the reforms necessary 
to restore public trust and accountability to law enforcement.

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