TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Jan 14, 2015

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, is pushing for a way to keep track of deadly encounters with police, Action News 5 reports. Cohen spoke on MSNBC last night about a bill he is proposing to “close a federal loophole in national statistics.” The legislation would require all police departments to provide the Justice Department with demographic information for both victims and police officers every time deadly force is used. It also would require agencies to report a justification for the use of deadly force. Current law requires the attorney general to keep track of excessive force incidents, but does not adequately define “excessive force” or provide an enforcement mechanism, Cohen said. Read more from the congressman’s press release.