On January 7th, 2023, the brutal murder of Tyre Nichols made violent police misconduct a headline once again. The Biden Administration asserted many promises for police reform last May after meeting with the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. But, unfortunately, as evidenced by Nichol’s death, not much progress has happened. Instead, fed-up Americans were handed a list of empty promises to compensate for a failing system.
The most significant undertaking Biden promised was an information record about officer misconduct called the “National Law Enforcement Accountability Database.” By design, the database would document details about specific officers and their violations to prevent them from being rehired in another jurisdiction. Unfortunately, while the project’s initial launch date was January 20th, 2023, no new information has been released by the Department of Justice.
Even if the project was followed through, it has far too many limitations to effectively stop misconduct. As mentioned earlier, the database’s primary goal is to prevent “wandering officers” from moving from one department to another after being accused of misconduct. While this measure would be a necessary step in a better direction, it is simply not preventative. The five policemen responsible for the demise of Tyre Nichols would not have been in the database before the homicide because they were not “enough” of a concern, even though a few of them had faced minor disciplinary infractions in the past.
The truth is that the “National Law Enforcement Accountability Database” was an uncommitted political move to abate the uproar. Police misconduct will not end until the culture changes first. More importantly, policymakers must prioritize police reform even when murders of innocent black men and women are not making headlines. While it may seem way beyond our reach, you can do a few things to help.
As futile as it can feel, circulating information about police misconduct can hold policy makers responsible, whether on social media or in conversation. Information in the hands of the public is power. Donating when and what you can to help cover legal fees is another essential step in getting involved. Adequate legal representation makes a world of difference to victims of police–a job that guarantees an insane degree of personal discretion. Finally, if you feel safe enough, use your right to protest. At the federal level, nothing is slower than change without pressure. As much as I wish the government would do the right thing and act quickly, that is not the name of the game.
Hopefully, in the coming months, we will see real action taken by the Biden Administration, and more information about the misconduct database will be updated and released. But, in the meantime, using our privilege to advocate for our communities is the best thing we can do.
Reference
Fighting police abuse: A community action manual. American Civil Liberties
Union. (n.d.). Retrieved February 6, 2023, from
https://www.aclu.org/other/fighting-police-abuse-community-action-manual
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