New York State Bar Association Praises President Biden On Police Reform, Urges Congress To Restore Public Faith In Policing
5.27.2022
T. Andrew Brown, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement on President Biden’s executive order on police reform:
“With the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act languishing in the U.S. Senate, President Biden took bold action to restore the public’s faith in policing through executive order. The New York State Bar Association commends the president for doing everything within his power to reform federal police agencies, such as the FBI, but sadly, the executive order will have little impact on state and local police departments where reform is desperately needed.
The president’s executive order implements several reforms recommended by the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Racial Injustice and Police Reform in its sweeping report issued a year ago. They include creating a database to track officer misconduct, mandating the use of body cameras, improving police training standards, collecting data on the use of force, and restricting the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants.
It is imperative that local and state police departments be required to live up to the same standards as federal policing agencies. That is why we once again call upon Congress to swiftly pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act before another innocent life is lost.”
About the New York State Bar Association
The New York State Bar Association is the largest voluntary state bar association in the nation. Since 1876, NYSBA has helped shape the development of law, educated, and informed the legal profession and the public, and championed the rights of New Yorkers through advocacy and guidance in our communities.
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