State, federal law enforcement agencies assess police reform order

An executive order signed Wednesday - two years after the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers - by President Joe Biden in an attempt to address police reform has been met with both praise and skepticism by law enforcement and civil rights groups.

“This executive order is going to deliver the most significant police reform in decades,” Biden said. “The bottom line of the executive order includes reforms that have long been talked about but we’re finally implementing at a federal level.”

The executive order focuses primarily on federal agencies by reviewing and revising use of force policies, requiring use of body cameras by federal law enforcement, requiring anti-bias training and banning the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

Some civil rights groups are not satisfied with the order and demand more action from Congress and the administration. Judith Browne Dianis, executive director of the Advancement Project, said it doesn’t do enough to hold police accountable and protect people.

“Though this order contains important steps towards police accountability, unfortunately it will not be a wholesale solution to keep communities of color safe from police violence,” Dianis said in a statement. “What we need is clear legislative action by Congress that would end qualified immunity, and restrict subjective standards that give officers cover for inhumane treatment. Throwing more money at police is not the solution.”

The Georgia NAACP supported the statement released by NAACP President Derrick Johnson commending the efforts made by the Biden administration in addressing police reform.

“We know full well that an executive order cannot address America’s policing crisis the same way Congress has the ability to, but we’ve got to do everything we can,” Johnson said in a statement.

Floyd family lawyer Ben Crump said in a statement the executive order was an important step but more needs to be done, the AP reported. Floyd’s family was in attendance at the signing.

“While this action does not have the long-term impact that we had hoped for,” Crump said, “it does represent incremental progress, and we need to commit ourselves to making progress every day.”

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The order requires the U.S. Attorney General to create a database to help track officer misconduct nationwide, including any convictions, terminations, decertifications, civil judgments, resignations or retirements while under investigation. Previous administrations have also tried to establish a similar database.

All federal law enforcement agencies will be required to submit, on a monthly basis, all data on incidents involving use of deadly force and use the database in screening personnel.

The database will be accessible to state and local law enforcement. They are not required to enter their records, though. Officials hope to incentivize local law enforcement to participate in the database by providing federal funding, the AP reported.

Georgia Sheriff’s Association Executive Director Terry Norris said Georgia’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Council, which handles certification of all police officers in the state, already keeps track of those records.

“You would have to look at what conduct they are defining. I think our P.O.S.T. council in Georgia does a pretty good job in monitoring our conduct of those of us in law enforcement,” Norris said.

Georgia Peace Officer Association Executive Director John Edwards predicted local agencies may take a skeptical approach regarding the database “until it is presented, explained and people look at it.”

Local and state agencies will be impacted by the reintroduction an of Obama administration restriction on the transfer or purchase with federal funds of military equipment. Edwards said the restriction on military equipment will impact smaller agencies the most, due to smaller budgets.

“You are cutting off another resource for the police. We are in a crisis, we are in an absolute crisis in the state of Georgia,” Edwards said. “We’ve got sheriffs and chiefs that can’t recruit people, they can’t hire people and they can’t keep people. I think the police ought to have access to military equipment.”

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Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association President Larry Cosme said his organization is supportive of the executive order and appreciated the fact they were able to work together with the White House and Department of Justice to draft it.

“This is executive order is going to have an immediate impact on the men and women I represent in the federal law enforcement community, which is 100,000 officers and agents,” he said. “I’m happy that I had the opportunity to meet with the administration.”

The order also looks into the impact of facial recognition software on civil liberties, looks into reducing the spread of COVID in federal correctional facilities and makes a point about law enforcement wellness and mental health. Cosme said the wellness of federal law enforcement was one of the most important points they argued in favor of.

The executive order requires federal law enforcement agencies to adopt body camera policies that require officers to wear and activate the cameras while conducting arrests and searches and the expedited release of body-worn camera footage of incidents involving serious bodily injury or deaths in custody.

In 2019, the Atlanta Police Department, under the leadership of former Chief Erika Shields, announced it would no longer partner on task forces with federal law enforcement because the agencies did not allow officers to wear cameras. The policy was reversed in 2020 after outgoing Chief Rodney Bryant decided to rejoin federal task forces, the department said.