Scott Applauds Biden’s Executive Order to Advance Effective, Accountable Policing on Anniversary of the Murder of George Floyd

NEWPORT NEWS, VA – Today, President Biden signed an historic executive order(EO) to advance effective, accountable policing and criminal justice practices that will improve public trust and strengthen public safety as the nation marks the second anniversary of the murder of George Floyd.

"Americans from all walks of life took to the streets after the senseless murder of George Floyd to protest police brutality and demand accountability, transparency, and reform to our justice system," said Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03). "That is why I was very grateful to see President Biden mark this solemn anniversary of Mr. Floyd's murder with action. The President's executive order seeks to improve public trust between communities and law enforcement with enhanced transparency and accountability measures. An important part of achieving this goal is comprehensive data collection of use of force and deaths in custody. Nearly eight years after Congress passed my reauthorization of the Death in Custody Reporting Act, I am very pleased to see President Biden's executive order call for its full implementation so that the American people can finally have accurate data on the number of deaths that occur in police custody and in our jails and prisons. This data will be critical to policymakers at the local, state, and federal level to enact initiatives to reduce incidences of avoidable deaths in our justice system and to identify problematic law enforcement agencies."

Congressman Scott introduced the Death In Custody Reporting Act (DCRA) in 2013 and it was signed into law by President Obama in 2014. The legislation updated the 2000 version of the law that Congressman Scott co-authored and requires states and federal law enforcement agencies to report to the Department of Justice (DOJ) information regarding the death of any person in the process of arrest or who is otherwise in law enforcement custody, including jails, prisons and juvenile facilities. Since its enactment, Congressman Scott has pushed the Obama, Trump and Biden administrations to meaningfully implement the law.

In 2016, Congressman Scott sent a letterto Attorney General Loretta Lynch requesting an update on the implementation of the DCRA.

In 2017, Congressman Scott led a letterwith other Members of Congress to Attorney General Jeff Sessions urging the DOJ to implement and enforce DCRA.

In 2020, Congressman Scott sent a letterto Attorney General Bill Barr demanding the DOJ implement and enforce DCRA in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd.

President Biden's EO also makes important reforms to federal law enforcement practices by banning chokeholds and carotid restraints, restricting no-knock entries, requiring evidence-based anti-bias training, and adopting new use of force policies. For more information on the EO,please click here to access the White House's fact sheet.

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