2020 was an unforgettable year for many reasons. The Covid virus hit the US early that year and continues in waves currently, but that year also marked another wave of a civil rights issue that’s been going on for generations. It came to a head when George Floyd brutally died at the hands of the police officers retaining him, which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, and all over the world, according to CBS news.

 

In a briefing made by President Biden on May 25, 2022, the Executive Order on Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices to Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety aims to build cooperation and trust between communities and law enforcement to ensure safety to all citizens. In the statement, from the White House website, President Biden places into effect a series of actions to ensure all citizens, especially communities of color, remain safe and trust in the law enforcement in their neighborhood.

 

“It is time that we acknowledge the legacy of systemic racism in our criminal justice system and work together to eliminate the racial disparities that endure to this day.  Doing so serves all Americans,” said Biden during the briefing.

 

This order comes in response to the countless deaths and wrongfully conducted police actions of poor and underrepresented communities across the nation. It is also in direct response to the death of George Floyd, on May 25, 2020, in the custody of Minneapolis Police Officers, outlined by the New York Times.

 

In Response to Police Brutality

In the Executive Order, President Biden calls for key reform, stated by American Progress, including the improvement of data collection, which requires all federal law enforcement to report any misconduct to a National Law Enforcement Accountability Database. It will then be reviewed by the U.S. Attorney General. It also includes a restriction on the “transferring and selling additional types of military equipment” between law enforcement agencies.

 

 

In the vein of police misconduct, part of President Biden’s executive order is including actions on a number of levels. One is the improvement on crisis response alternatives and training for civil rights in the Department of Justice. This means educating and helping officials at “state, local, tribal, and territorial officials,” according to American Progress, when responding first hand to people with disabilities and/or behavioral or mental health crises. Another is a tightening up of the way the country hires and keeps its police force. According to the White House statement, the recruitment, hiring, and retaining of law enforcement will now include specific attention to inclusivity and diversity to create an “expert law enforcement workforce,” as well as a new credentialing process implemented by the attorney general.

 

Police Use of No-Knock Warrants

In a very important revision, President Biden restricted the use of “no-knock” entries. Police officers used the no-knock warrant in the case and death of Breonna Taylor, Amir Locke, and at least 22 people since 2015, stated The Washington Post. Police officers are no longer allowed to enter a building unless knocking and announcing would create immediate danger.

 

With these new directives in place, the hope is that the United States is one step closer to gaining back the public trust that it’s lost over decades of misconduct and damage to the nation. When communities, families, and individuals can hold trust in their public safety and the officials who have the privilege of protecting them, our nation may just be able to begin to heal properly.

 

Los Angeles Police Misconduct Attorney

While the Executive Order is a step in the right direction, there are still innumerable injustices that have been faced due abuse of power, and that will continue to happen unless more action and accountability is put into place. Where The Sehat Law Firm helps you assert your constitutional rights. We fight the bureaucracies for you and help bring justice and compensation for your pain and suffering, whether it was from excessive force, dog mauling, jail medical neglect, police tasing abuse, wrongful death by police or non-lethal excessive force.

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