[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 104 (Thursday, June 4, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE GEORGE FLOYD LAW ENFORCEMENT TRUST AND INTEGRITY 
                              ACT OF 2020

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 4, 2020

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise to announce to the House that 
I have introduced the George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity 
Act of 2020 (LETIA) to modernize law enforcement training, practices 
and procedures, and to address the issue of police accountability and 
build trust between police departments and the communities they serve.
  Over the past two decades, tensions between police and communities of 
color have grown as allegations of bias-based policing by law 
enforcement agents, sometimes supported by data collection efforts and 
video evidence, have increased in number and frequency.
  This legislation is designed to provide incentives for local police 
departments to voluntarily adopt performance-based standards to 
minimize incidents of misconduct, improve operations and enhance 
community accountability.
  Since the tragic police-involved shooting of Michael Brown in 
Ferguson, Missouri, there has been public outcry for Congressional 
action to address police accountability and public safety issues 
through the adoption of substantive law enforcement policy reforms.
  Despite the fact that the majority of law enforcement officers 
perform their duties professionally and without bias, the relationship 
between the police and some of minority communities has deteriorated to 
such a degree that federal action is required to begin addressing the 
issue.
  With recent Washington Post reports of more than 1000 reported 
police-involved shooting fatalities in the last year, the time is long 
past for bipartisan action.
  The George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2020 
provides incentives for local police organizations to voluntarily adopt 
performance-based standards to ensure that incidents of deadly force or 
misconduct will be minimized through appropriate management and 
training protocols and properly investigated, should they occur.
  The legislation authorizes the Department of Justice to work 
cooperatively with independent accreditation, law enforcement and 
community-based organizations to further develop and refine the 
accreditation standards, and authorizes the Attorney General to make 
grants to law enforcement agencies for the purpose of obtaining 
accreditation from certified law enforcement accreditation 
organizations.
  Beyond the human toll created by law enforcement accountability 
issues, there remains the fiscal impact created by the high cost of 
litigation settlements for police abuse claims.
  Currently, there are no federally recognized minimum standards to 
follow for operating a police department.
  The ad hoc nature of police management has left many officers and 
agencies in the dark about how to cope with changes in their 
communities.
  While most cities fail to systematically track the cost of 
litigation, the cost reports for major cities can prove staggering.
  In New York City alone, during Mayor Michael Bloomberg's three term 
tenure, NYPD payouts were in excess of $1 billion dollars for policing 
claims.
  For small departments, the cost of a single high-profile incident 
could prove crippling in its impact on public safety.
  While the Department of Justice has a range of criminal and civil 
authority to address policing issues, the Civil Rights Division will 
never have the resources necessary to investigate more than a small 
fraction of those departments engaged in unconstitutional conduct, even 
with the enhanced funding and task force authority granted by this 
legislation.
  Through the support of a robust accreditation regime, like that 
existing for the healthcare industry, Congress can ensure that all 
communities have the best trained and managed police departments.
  Only by establishing acceptable police operations standards can we 
begin to address issues like use of force before they occur and heal 
the rifts within our communities.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the House to observe a moment of silence in 
memory of George Floyd and for all Members to join me in sponsoring the 
George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2020 (LETIA).

                          ____________________