[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 73 (Wednesday, May 13, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E698-E699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE POLICE TRAINING AND INDEPENDENT REVIEW ACT OF 2015

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 13, 2015

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of The Police 
Training and Independent Review Act, which I introduced earlier today 
with colleague Lacy Clay of Missouri.
  If enacted, the Police Training and Independent Review Act would help 
ensure the independent investigation and prosecution of law enforcement 
officers in cases involving their use of deadly force. It would also 
provide sensitivity training for law enforcement officers.
  America received a wakeup call last year in Ferguson, Missouri. It 
received another in Staten Island, New York.
  It received yet another in Cleveland, Ohio, and then North 
Charleston, South Carolina, and more recently in Baltimore.
  Our nation faces sobering questions about the basic fairness of our 
criminal justice system. And we face sobering questions about race. 
These questions simply cannot be ignored.
  For too many, for too long, justice has seemed too lacking.
  Precisely how long, and for how many--these are numbers we ought to 
know, and it is shameful that we do not. The fact that police 
departments are not required to report data about when, where and 
against whom they use deadly force is absurd. Even FBI Director James 
Comey has said it is, ``ridiculous that [he] can't tell you how many 
people were shot by the police last week, last month, last year.''
  Last year, and again earlier this year, I introduced the National 
Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act to address this. The 
legislation would give both lawmakers and the public the numbers we 
need to measure the problem, so we can figure out how best to address 
it.
  However, I rise today to talk about another equally important step we 
can take, right now, that does not require us to wait for more data. We 
can remove the looming cloud of doubt that hangs over too many 
instances in which law enforcement officers use deadly force against 
unarmed individuals.
  We can stop asking local prosecutors to investigate the same law 
enforcement officers with whom they work so closely, and whose 
relationships they rely upon to perform their daily responsibilities.
  This is an obvious conflict of interest, and if we are serious about 
restoring a sense of fairness and justice, we must remove this conflict 
immediately.
  To be sure, the vast majority of prosecutors and law enforcement 
officers are well meaning, dedicated public servants, and we depend 
upon them to keep us safe from criminals. And they have dangerous jobs, 
as we have seen all too frequently in recent months.
  But the fact remains that some police departments don't vet their 
patrolmen well enough. Some allow wealthy supporters to be reserve 
officers where judgment is lacking and some don't provide all 
appropriate training. There are also some officers who go beyond the 
law in a callous disregard for due process.
  While we have seen charges against officers in North Charleston and 
in Baltimore, the question remains: would they have been prosecuted if 
we didn't have video of the events in question?
  According to a recent Washington Post investigation, there have been, 
``thousands of fatal shootings at the hands of police since 2005, [and] 
only 54 officers have been charged. Most were cleared or acquitted in 
the cases that have been resolved.''
  I can't stand here today and tell you whether each of these 
prosecutors was biased. But what I can tell you is that there is a 
perception of unfairness in certain kinds of cases, and that perception 
is poisoning the public trust.
  But we can fix this problem.
  The Police Training and Independent Review Act would give states a 
reason to do what they should already be doing: require the use of 
independent prosecutors when there is an obvious conflict of interest. 
If states refuse to use independent prosecutors for cases against law 
enforcement officers involving their use of deadly force, they lose 
federal funding,

[[Page E699]]

which can make up a significant portion of their budgets.
  I urge my colleagues to help pass this legislation quickly, and help 
restore some much needed faith in our criminal justice system.
  I want to thank my colleague Lacy Clay for his partnership on this 
bill. He is a tireless advocate on these issues, and I am honored to 
work with him.

                          ____________________