This bill establishes a comprehensive system for reporting law enforcement misconduct, requiring federal, state, and local agencies to collect and report detailed information regarding judgments and settlements stemming from allegations of officer misconduct. Its core purpose is to enhance transparency and accountability by centralizing data on the financial and systemic impacts of such incidents. The Attorney General will identify all federal law enforcement agencies and make this list publicly available. Federal law enforcement agencies must annually report the total number and specific details of judgments or settlements related to misconduct allegations. This includes the race, ethnicity, sex, and age of involved officers and civilians, the type of alleged misconduct (e.g., use of force , racial profiling, sexual harassment), personnel actions taken, and the total amount and source of payment for each judgment or settlement. This data collection begins 120 days after enactment. State and local governments receiving funds through the Byrne JAG program are also required to collect and report substantially similar data to the Attorney General, and must publish this information on their respective websites. Non-compliance can lead to a reduction of up to 10 percent of their Byrne JAG or "Cops on the Beat" program funds, with reallocated funds going to compliant jurisdictions. The Attorney General will verify reported state and local data using open-source information. The bill mandates a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study after two years of data collection to analyze trends, identify causes of misconduct, and recommend improvements. The Department of Justice will also issue annual reports, including recommendations for use of force and best practices developed in consultation with law enforcement and civil rights organizations. Finally, the Attorney General must create and maintain a public, searchable database on the Department of Justice website containing all reported data, updated annually, while ensuring no personally identifiable information of officers is included.
This bill establishes a comprehensive system for reporting law enforcement misconduct, requiring federal, state, and local agencies to collect and report detailed information regarding judgments and settlements stemming from allegations of officer misconduct. Its core purpose is to enhance transparency and accountability by centralizing data on the financial and systemic impacts of such incidents. The Attorney General will identify all federal law enforcement agencies and make this list publicly available. Federal law enforcement agencies must annually report the total number and specific details of judgments or settlements related to misconduct allegations. This includes the race, ethnicity, sex, and age of involved officers and civilians, the type of alleged misconduct (e.g., use of force , racial profiling, sexual harassment), personnel actions taken, and the total amount and source of payment for each judgment or settlement. This data collection begins 120 days after enactment. State and local governments receiving funds through the Byrne JAG program are also required to collect and report substantially similar data to the Attorney General, and must publish this information on their respective websites. Non-compliance can lead to a reduction of up to 10 percent of their Byrne JAG or "Cops on the Beat" program funds, with reallocated funds going to compliant jurisdictions. The Attorney General will verify reported state and local data using open-source information. The bill mandates a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study after two years of data collection to analyze trends, identify causes of misconduct, and recommend improvements. The Department of Justice will also issue annual reports, including recommendations for use of force and best practices developed in consultation with law enforcement and civil rights organizations. Finally, the Attorney General must create and maintain a public, searchable database on the Department of Justice website containing all reported data, updated annually, while ensuring no personally identifiable information of officers is included.