[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 122 (Thursday, July 30, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S6183]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             SAFER OFFICERS AND SAFER CITIZENS ACT OF 2015

  Mr. BOOKER. Mr. President, I join Senators Tim Scott and Lindsey 
Graham in introducing the Safer Officers and Safer Citizens Act of 
2015. This critical legislation moves our Nation a step forward in 
rebuilding the trust gap between law enforcement and communities by 
creating a Federal grant program to supply local, State, and tribal law 
enforcement with body-worn cameras. I thank Senator Scott for his work 
on this bill and his leadership on such a critical issue.
  Trust between law enforcement and communities is critical to the 
foundation of our democracy. It reinforces the legitimacy of the State 
to the people that the State serves. It assures the public that the 
people sworn to protect them will do so honorably or be held 
accountable when they don't. It builds transparency and promotes open 
government by shining a spotlight on police-citizen interaction so that 
no misconduct occurs in the dark. It ensures police officers that the 
community will see their side and not cast unmerited aspersions.
  But recent police-citizen encounters in our Nation have created a 
trust deficit between law enforcement and the communities that they 
serve. Over the past year, troubling use of force incidents have 
occurred between police officers and citizens in places like Ferguson, 
MO, Baltimore, MD, and North Charleston, SC. These events spurred a 
national dialogue about the state of policing in America, and created 
an urgency for body-worn cameras.
  When I served as mayor of New Jersey's largest city, I saw firsthand 
the difficulties law enforcement faced in keeping our communities safe. 
The overwhelming majority of police officers in the United States are 
decent and hardworking Americans who have dedicated their lives to a 
greater calling. But let us not mistake ourselves--we have a problem in 
our country. Over the past few years, trust has eroded between law 
enforcement and the communities they serve. The unfortunate actions of 
a few have cast a long shadow over the good work of many.
  I am also concerned that systemic issues have contributed to eroding 
the trust between communities and police. It comes from decades of a 
failed War on Drugs. Minority communities are routinely subject to stop 
and frisk policies. People are stopped for ``suspicious'' activities 
like acting too nervous, acting too calm, dressing casually, or wearing 
expensive clothes or jewelry. The fact is that five times as many 
Whites report using drugs as African Americans, yet African Americans 
are sent to prison for drug crimes ten times that of whites. Of course 
a lack of trust will exist when our criminal justice system as a whole 
disproportionately targets minorities.
  It is time we start rebuilding that trust. This bill is about 
transparency. The Safer Officer and Safer Citizens Act of 2015 would 
require that the Department of Justice give priority to States, 
localities, and tribal areas that have developed comprehensive body-
worn camera policies that address such issues as privacy, data 
retention, and victim protection. It would also give priority to 
jurisdictions that consult victim and juvenile advocacy groups, labor 
organizations, civic leadership, law enforcement professionals, and the 
defense bar. The bill requires States, localities, and tribal units to 
collect data on the effectiveness of body cameras.
  Body-worn cameras will protect communities from police abuses of 
power and simultaneously protect police from false complaints. I am 
proud to join with Senators Scott and Graham in introducing the Safer 
Officer and Safer Citizens Act of 2015, and I urge its speedy passage.

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