Sen. Booker Backs Plan To Revamp Policing: ‘Time For A Reckoning’

NEWARK, NJ — It’s time for a “moral reckoning” on race and police brutality, according to Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey.

On Monday, Booker announced that he and his Democratic peer, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, have introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate dubbed the “Justice in Policing Act of 2020.”

The proposed law would allow use of force only as a last resort, ban chokeholds, prohibit racial and religious profiling, and make it easier to hold police accountable for misconduct. It would also ban the use of “no knock” warrants and eliminate “qualified immunity” for police officers.

• Full text of the legislation is available here
• A section-by-section summary is available here

The effort is being sponsored in the House by Reps. Karen Bass of California and Jerrold Nadler of New York. It’s also picked up support from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and several other top Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey, including Sen. Bob Menendez and U.S. Reps. Mikie Sherrill, Donald Norcross, Frank Pallone Jr., Donald Payne Jr., Albio Sires and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

The legislation comes just weeks after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which sparked protests throughout the nation, including New Jersey.

People are outraged, and it’s not just Floyd’s death that has them protesting in the streets, Booker said. It’s also cases like Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Terence Crutcher, Oscar Grant … and the list goes on.

“Persistent, unchecked bias in policing and a complete lack of accountability is wreaking havoc on the black community,” said Booker, who recently launched a presidential bid that began and ended in Newark, where he has a home.

“The truth is there's no one policy change that will fix this issue immediately,” Booker continued. “We need a comprehensive set of reforms that will improve police training and practices, and ensure greater accountability and transparency.”

“People across this country are rightfully angry because time and again, their voices have gone unheard,” Booker charged. “Their desperate calls for change have been dismissed. Their heartbreak and trauma have been bottled up. And the list of black and brown lives cut short has only grown.”

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MENENDEZ, SHERRILL SUPPORT 'JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT'

The Justice In Policing Act has gained support from other high-profile Democratic leaders in New Jersey, including co-sponsors Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

Menendez, one of the highest-ranking Latino members of Congress, said the legislation will increase police accountability and transparency, set national use-of-force standards and improve police training.

“These are sensible, reasonable reforms needed to help restore confidence in a system that has historically had a heavier hand against black and brown Americans,” Menendez said. “But it’s only the first step of what is needed to address our nation’s systemic economic, social and environmental injustices once and for all.”

Sherrill, a former federal prosecutor and Navy pilot, said she doesn’t support the idea of defunding police departments, as some pundits and community leaders have recently suggested. But she added that “Congress must act” to restore the trust and faith between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve.

“At the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey I worked as an outreach and re-entry coordinator and an assistant U.S. attorney,” Sherrill said. “I’ve seen the best of our law enforcement community and the commitment that they have made to the public’s safety. But I’ve also seen too many examples of where our system falls desperately short.”

“This legislation is another step in the fight for justice in this country and I’m proud to support that effort,” Sherrill added.

FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE: 'A POSITIVE IMPACT ON POLICING'

The bill has also seen support from the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which released the following statement on Tuesday:

"The National FOP has completed an initial review of the legislation entitled the 'Justice in Policing Act.' We were heartened to see that there were provisions in the bill that we believe, after good faith discussions, will create a law that will have a positive impact on law enforcement and policing in our country. We share the sentiments of Congress and the public we are sworn to protect with respect to policing reform. All of us have a stake in safe communities. When our citizens do not feel safe in the presence of police, that’s a problem—and the FOP intends to be part of the solution."

The National FOP continued:

"We look forward to engaging with the administration, with members of the House and Senate, and stakeholder groups, in the coming days to find consensus on issues of vital national concern and produce a bill that can pass, not just the House, but also the Senate with broad and bipartisan support. We made history when we passed the First Step Act together and now have another opportunity to make historic changes to policing in America. Let’s not let it pass us by."

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