Senate Dems to re-introduce the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Senate Democrats are reintroducing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, following the killing of Sonya Massey. The 36-year-old Black woman was gunned down by sheriff deputy in her Illinois home.

The ACLU is applauding the effort.

ACLU senior policy counsel, Nina Patel, says police misconduct is an “ongoing crisis” that needs to be addressed.  She’s calling on both sides of the aisle to put partisan politics aside to pass federal reforms.

The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act is a sweeping bill that would require implicit bias training for police and establish a national law enforcement registry to ensure bad actors are not re-hired.

Bipartisan negotiations broke down four years ago over a controversial provision known as qualified immunity.

Democrats argue the legal statute which protects law enforcement officers from civil lawsuits must be eliminated.

Republicans and law enforcement groups, including the National Sheriffs Association. are fiercely opposed to stripping away the legal protection.

Executive Director of the National Sheriffs Association Jonathan Thompson says doing so will make it impossible to recruit police officers and put public safety in jeopardy.

“It’s pretty clear that some in the Congress are trying to take advantage of this moment” says Thompson.

The deputy who killed Massey is now facing murder charges. Amid public pressure the sheriff who hired the deputy says he will step down.

“The salient point is justice can work when there’s transparency,” says Thompson.

Patel says the criminal charges don’t erase systematic failures in policing.

“In order to change the actual policy that led to that hiring of an individual that’s changed out so many times who is not qualified to be part of the police department, in order to effectuate that change you need civil remedies and qualified immunity is one particular civil remedy,” says Patel.

Without support from Republicans, the bill will go nowhere in both chambers. Sen Durbin’s office did not confirm if he plans to hold hearings on the legislation or Massey’s death.

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