President Biden Creates Law Enforcement Accountability Database

Nearly two years have passed since America was lit ablaze over the death of George Floyd. Since then, there’s been thousands of ideas and debates on what we as a country can do to end police brutality. But with no federal legislation passed since then, it seemed that talking is all that would come out of the protest of 2020. That is until May 25 rolled around, and President Joe Biden signed an executive order to create the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database.

The purpose of the database is to keep officers of the law accountable for their actions. It will keep track of all federal officers’ criminal records, firings and other cases of serious misconduct. Though local law enforcement agencies are not required to report to the database, they are strongly encouraged to do so anyway.

"This executive order is going to deliver the most significant police reform in decades,” the President stated at the signing of the order. “It applies directly, under law, to only 100,000 federal law enforcement officers, all the federal law enforcement officers. And through federal incentives and best practices that are attached to it, we expect the order to have a significant impact on state and local law enforcement agencies as well."

At the signing was George Floyd’s family, who like most of Black America, have been waiting for the federal government to do something about police brutality since the death of their loved one. And though this bill is a step toward a better tomorrow, it’s far from the serious action we need to end police aggression toward people of color.

“I know progress can be slow and frustrating,” Biden admitted. “But today we’re acting. We’re showing that speaking out matters. Being engaged matters. That the work of our time, healing the soul of this nation, is ongoing and unfinished and requires all of us never to give up.”

Biden and Democrats in congress still hope that they can push some kind of legislation through that will have the major impact that’s needed to change policing in our country. But until then, the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database is the best we’ve got.

Photo Credit: Koshu Kunii