Democrats of the US Congress on Monday, June 8, unveiled a bill on a massive police reform amid protests that erupted throughout the country due to the death of an African American during detention.
The document implies a ban on strangulation by the police and the allocation of funds for independent investigations in case of illegal actions. Law enforcement officers will be allowed to use force only in extreme cases. At the same time, local police departments will be obliged to report on the use of force in the US Department of Justice, and a federal register of complaints about unlawful actions by law enforcement agencies will also be created. Police officers will be required to carry cameras with them, which also equip office vehicles.
In addition, the document prohibits in some cases the issuance of a warrant allowing police to break into the house without warning.
“The painful death of George Floyd caused Americans to experience national pain from grief over African Americans who died as a result of police brutality. This grief grew into protests demanding an end to injustice. Today Congress is on the side of those who fight for justice and change, ” NBC News quoted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as saying .
For the reform of the police previously advocated former US vice president Joe Biden . If he won the upcoming presidential election, he promised to create a commission that would oversee the work of the police. He also proposed to establish a single standard for the permissible use of force by law enforcement officers.
Former US President Barack Obama also called for reform . He recalled that the work of law enforcement officers is influenced by local authorities, which are appointed as a result of elections, but the turnout in local elections is negligible. In this regard, Obama called for specific reform requirements and voice in elections.
The incident that caused a public outcry occurred in late May in Minneapolis (Minnesota). The police received a complaint from a local store about a large black man. Law enforcement officers found the alleged offender – he turned out to be 46-year-old African American George Floyd, threw him to the ground, one of them stepped Floyd on his knee on the neck and did not pay attention to his cries that he could not breathe. After some time, the detainee lost consciousness, and later died in the hospital .
After that, many American cities were swept by protests, which are often accompanied by pogroms and clashes with law enforcement agencies. Trump criticized state governors for his weak reaction to protests and demanded to respond to the pogroms by force.