Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability

On June 10, 2020, Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, submitted testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary. The hearing, “Policing Practices and Law Enforcement Accountability,” displayed the need for a drastic change in policing culture, accountability, and reform. 

While there are numerous problems surrounding policing that need to be addressed, Clarke argued four main points:

• Our country has flouted police accountability, prioritizing officers’ job security above other interests;
• Police unions have crippled the ability of police departments, local governments, and the public to investigate and discipline officers for misconduct;
• Laws in several states hide misconduct records and obstruct accountability; and
• Qualified immunity prevents police from being held accountable through the courts and must be eliminated. 

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law supports and endorses the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which contains a host of police reforms, including:

• Collecting and publicizing officers’ records of misconduct;
• Creating and implementing a national registry that will track misconduct allegations across the country, so officers who violate the law cannot just move from one department to another; and
• Eliminating qualified immunity for certain types of law enforcement officers. 

The barriers to police accountability are a threat to our democracy, and to achieving racial equity and equal justice. 

Read the full testimony here.