Under Color of Law Accountability Act
Senate Bill Would Make Excessive Force, Theft by Police Federal Crimes
Legislative Progress
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.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
LGBTQ individuals, particularly transgender people, experience higher rates of police violence and discriminatory treatment during encounters with law enforcement. This bill's federal penalties for excessive force and its broad definition of government actors covered would provide an additional legal avenue for holding officers accountable when bias-motivated force is used.
Disabilities
Activities
Milestones
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articlesRep. Steve Cohen Reintroduces Bill to Lower Bar for Prosecuting Police Misconduct
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) introduced the Under Color of Law Accountability Act, which aims to simplify the prosecution of law enforcement officers who use excessive force or engage in theft, while also codifying the right for citizens to record police in public.
New Federal Legislation Targets Police Theft and Destruction of Bystander Video
A new bill introduced in the House would make it a federal crime for officers to steal property valued at over $25 during searches and establishes strict penalties for officers who intentionally destroy or seize cameras from people filming them.
Police Accountability Bill Faces Uphill Battle in Divided Congress
While proponents of the Under Color of Law Accountability Act argue it provides necessary teeth to federal civil rights statutes, critics in law enforcement unions warn the 'reasonable officer' standard change could lead to hesitation in dangerous situations.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Under Color of Law Accountability Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.