Support Legislation “The Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Bill” has support from both the police and civil rights organizations. This bill would hold police accountable for actions from racial profiling to deaths in police custody. It would create standards for official conduct through specialized training. The bill would also protect police officers who report police misconduct. In addition, it would allow the national government and individual citizens to investigate cases of police misconduct. Most importantly, it would create a national standard for police accountability, which is desperately needed to assure consistent treatment of cases throughout the country. In order to ensure that these or similar bills are implemented, we need to lobby Congress and educate the general public. This could be achieved by attracting media coverage in the form of paid advertisements, large public events or demonstrations. Local
Activism More importantly, activists must take more initiative in combating the common misconception that people calling for reform are anti-police. Actually, reform would increase public respect for police officers by encouraging positive interactions with the community and greater accountability by police officers. Thus, through a combination of federal and state laws and standards, community organizing, and brainstorming with the police force, new measures can be established to provide for legal and effective policing methods. Only when the public has regained its trust that the police are protecting all citizens without regard to race, can the police force be used to effectively regulate society. By Katherine Bromberg, Hearts and Minds Volunteer
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