Response letter from US Senator from Illinois Tammy Duckworth:

Thank you for contacting me about the horrific murder of George Floyd and the urgent need for comprehensive police reform. As an original cosponsor who helped Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kamala Harris of California introduce the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, I appreciate you taking the time to make me aware of your concerns on this important matter.

On May 25, 2020, a Minneapolis police officer brutally killed George Floyd by pinning him face down on the asphalt as he forced his knee and weight into the back of Mr. Floyd's neck, despite Mr. Floyd repeatedly crying out that he could not breathe as he was pinned down for more than eight minutes. The City of Minneapolis swiftly fired all four officers involved in the deadly use of force that killed Mr. Floyd. However, there was understandable public outrage over the local Hennepin County Attorney's four day delay before charging Derek Chauvin, the officer who used the lethal restraint tactic and had a history of prior excessive use of force incidents, with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. There was also confusion, frustration and anger that it took an additional five days, and the involvement of the Minneapolis Attorney General, before the other three former Minneapolis police officers were arrested and charged with aiding and abetting murder, and the upgraded charge of second-degree murder was added in Mr. Chauvin's case.

Public data indicates that over the past five years, Minneapolis Police Department officers have used force against Black residents at a rate of at least seven times that of White residents. Specifically, out of 11,500 documented police uses of force, 6,650 acts of force were against Black Americans, even though White residents account for approximately 60 percent of the Minneapolis population. That is why I joined my Senate colleagues in requesting the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division conduct a Federal investigation into the patterns and practices of racially discriminatory and violent policing in the Minneapolis Police Department. Although the DOJ has yet to answer this urgent request, please be assured that I will continue to push for the DOJ to leverage the full extent of law in investigating Mr. Floyd’s murder and the circumstances that led to it.

It is painful and heartbreaking to see this sort of senseless killing happen again and again—whether in Illinois, Kentucky or Minnesota or anywhere else. The communities and families impacted by this violence deserve accountability and justice. That is why I was proud to help Senators Booker and Harris introduce the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 as an original cosponsor. Our bill’s bold, comprehensive approach aims to better hold police accountable, change the culture of law enforcement and build trust between law enforcement and the communities they are meant to protect and serve.

Our proposal would prohibit Federal, State and local law enforcement from using racial, religious and discriminatory profiling and mandate training on discriminatory profiling for all law enforcement. This legislation would ban the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants at the Federal level, limit the transfer of military-grade equipment to State and local enforcement and require State and local law enforcement to use existing Federal funds to ensure the use of police body cameras. Our legislation would also establish public safety innovation grants for community-based organizations to create local commissions and task forces to help communities re-imagine and develop concrete, just and equitable public safety approaches.

To increase oversight of law enforcement, our legislation would establish a National Police Misconduct Registry to prevent problematic officers who are fired or leave an agency from moving to another jurisdiction without any accountability; require State and local law enforcement agencies to report use of force data; and improve the use of pattern and practice investigations at the Federal level by granting the DOJ Civil Rights Division subpoena power. Our bill would also establish a DOJ task force to coordinate the investigation, prosecution and enforcement efforts of Federal, State and local governments in cases related to law enforcement misconduct.

I was proud that provisions of my legislation, S. 1938, Police Training and Independent Review Act, were included in the Police Accountability Title of the Justice in Policing Act. These provisions seek to strengthen accountability and transparency over law enforcement use of lethal force by using financial incentives to push States to enact laws requiring independent reviews, criminal investigations and when necessary, prosecutions of police officers who commit violent crimes. As the Minneapolis case reminds us, the use of independent prosecutors eliminates the inherent conflict of interest that arises when local prosecutors are asked to investigate, and potentially prosecute, the same local police departments with whom they work so closely on a daily basis to build cases and secure convictions.

As your Senator, I am committed to guaranteeing every American equal protection under the law. We cannot let ourselves accept that Americans are still being publicly executed without judge or jury in tragic and preventable police-involved deaths. That is why I am a proud original cosponsor and strong supporter of the Justice in Policing Act. Please know that I will continue working to pass this critical legislation that would dramatically reform policing in Illinois and in communities across the Nation.

Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. If you would like more information on my work in the Senate, please visit my website at www.duckworth.senate.gov. You can access my voting record and see what I am doing to address today’s most important issues. I hope that you will continue to share your views and opinions with me and let me know whenever I may be of assistance to you.