The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“INTRODUCTION OF DEADLY FORCE TRANSPARENCY ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E84-E85 on Jan. 24, 2017.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF DEADLY FORCE TRANSPARENCY ACT
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HON. STEVE COHEN
of tennessee
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, the fact that after the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, the Eric Garner killing in Staten Island, and so many other, similar tragic events around the country, we still don't have reliable statistics about when, where and against whom law enforcement uses deadly force is shameful.
Even FBI Director James Comey has said it is, ``ridiculous that [he] can't tell you how many people were shot by the police last week, last month, last year.''
If we are serious about addressing excessive force, we need to know the full scope of the problem. For example, how often is deadly force used? Are minorities disproportionately the victims? Could other, non-
lethal measures have been taken?
That is why today I am introducing the National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act. It would require collection of this type of information. Although a provision of the 1994 Crime Bill requires the Attorney General to collect statistics on the use of excessive force, there is no enforcement mechanism and the federal government has been unable to gather data from many local police departments. Since excessive force can be difficult to define, this bill would be limited to just instances where deadly force is used.
Specifically, this legislation would require any law enforcement agency receiving federal funds to provide data to the Department of Justice on when each instance of deadly force occurred, including the race and gender of both the victim and the officer involved. It would also require an explanation as to why law enforcement felt deadly force was justified and any non-lethal efforts that were taken before deadly force was used.
The Department of Justice would make this data publicly available but would not disclose any personally identifying information.
This is information the public should already have. The fact that we don't is absurd. I urge my colleagues to fix this problem and pass the Deadly Force Transparency Act without delay.
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