Under Color of Law Accountability Act

Key Points

• This bill creates new federal crimes for government officials, like police officers, who use excessive force. It defines excessive force as force that is unnecessary or goes beyond what a reasonable officer would do. If an officer uses too much force and causes injury, they could face 10 years in prison, or up to 30 years if someone dies.
• The policy makes it a federal crime for officers to steal money or property while on the job. It would be illegal for an official to take more than $25 worth of cash, property, or drugs for their own use during a search or while someone is in custody. Depending on the value of what was stolen, the officer could face 5 to 10 years in prison.
• It protects the right of citizens to record the police. The bill makes it illegal for officers to break cameras, delete videos, or threaten people who are filming law enforcement activity in public. Officers who try to cover up a crime by destroying evidence or recordings could face up to 20 years in prison.
• The bill requires officers to stop their coworkers from using excessive force. If an officer has the chance to stop a colleague from hurting someone but chooses to do nothing, they can be punished as if they committed the act themselves. This rule is meant to ensure that officers hold each other accountable on the scene.