Center for Policing Equity on the Collapse of Police Reform Legislation—and Why Change Must Start With Communities

September 23 2021

Today, the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) released the following statement on the police reform bill that has stalled in the U.S. Senate:

The collapse of the bill despite Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Karen Bass’s (D-CA) efforts to reach a compromise on policing legislation with their Republican counterparts in the Senate is a disappointment, but not surprising. Barely a year removed from the largest call for racial justice in U.S. history – and almost five months to the day of Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the death of George Floyd – Congress has not figured out how to honor the will  of an overwhelming majority who demand changes to the role of police in society.

But their inaction must not prevent our progress. Much of the work needed to redesign our public safety systems can – and is – being done locally. Black communities, and all those communities who continue to bear the brunt of our broken criminal legal system, cannot afford to wait.

Legislation such as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act should be law. CPE will continue to support those members of Congress working toward national solutions. In the meantime, we stand with the local organizers, elected officials, change-minded law enforcement leaders, and others coming together across the country to create new blueprints for keeping our communities healthy, safe, and just.

###

About Center for Policing Equity: As a research and action organization, Center for Policing Equity (CPE) produces analyses identifying and reducing the causes of racial disparities in public safety. Using data-driven approaches to social justice, we use science to create levers for social, cultural, and policy change. Center for Policing Equity also holds a 501(c)3 status.