U.S. Democrats unveil police reform bill
-------------------------------------------
Democrats in Congress have proposed sweeping legislation to address racial injustice in U.S. policing and make it easier to prosecute officers for misconduct
-------------------------------------------
KEY PROVISIONS OF JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT
-------------------------------------------
Ban use of chokeholds and carotid holds, such as knee-on- neck restraint that killed George Floyd
-------------------------------------------
Create National Misconduct Registry to track police accused of misconduct and prevent fired officers transferring to other departments
-------------------------------------------
Implement nationwide use of body and dashboard cameras by all police
-------------------------------------------
Abolish “no-knock warrants” which allow police to forcibly enter properties in drug cases
-------------------------------------------
Eliminate “qualified immunity” defence that protects police from civil litigation in cases of excessive force
-------------------------------------------
Classify lynching as federal crime
-------------------------------------------
Make police liable for constitutional violations carried out “knowingly or with reckless disregard”
-------------------------------------------
Federal funding to state and local law enforcement agencies conditional on training to prohibit racial profiling
-------------------------------------------
Give Department of Justice authority to investigate police for evidence of department-wide bias or misconduct, and provide state attorneys general with grants to carry out such probes
-------------------------------------------
Limit sale of military weapons to state and local police
-------------------------------------------
Sources: democrats.org, Associated Press, Reuters Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS