New Cohen Bill Would Close Loophole Allowing Police Abuses to be Swept Under the Rug

Press Release

Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, introduced the National Statistics on Deadly Force Transparency Act of 2014 to close a loophole in federal law that prevents adequate collection of comprehensive national data regarding justified and unjustified fatal interactions with police. Without accurate data, racial disparities, abuses, and instances of excessive use of force are difficult to identify and unlikely to be fixed.

"Before we can truly address the problem of excessive force used by law enforcement we have to understand the nature of the problem and that begins with accurate data," said Congressman Cohen. "I am introducing this bill so that our country can begin to honestly assess racial disparities and other problems in our justice system and begin to fix them. It is a step in the right direction and a critical component of the healing process."

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