Thursday, December 10, 2015

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ) today sent a letter to FBI Director James Comey praising the announcement this week that the FBI will reform its data collection system to better track violent encounters between police and members of the public.

"The first step toward fixing a problem is to understand the full extent of it - and we know that improving data collection will strengthen accountability and help save lives," Senators Boxer and Booker wrote in the letter. "Moreover, it will aid our nation's leaders in crafting new policy to improve community-police relations."

The Senators wrote that they were "very encouraged" that the agency plans to expand its data collection to go beyond fatal shootings and begin to track other incidents in which members of the public are killed or seriously injured in encounters with law enforcement, including through the use of stun guns, pepper spray and bodily force. According to the Washington Post, the FBI is also likely to begin tracking the race and gender of officers and suspects involved, the level of threat or danger the officer faced, and the types of weapons wielded by either party.

"This is a critical first step toward restoring public trust in our criminal justice system," the Senators wrote.

In June 2015, Senators Boxer and Booker introduced the Police Reporting of Information, Data and Evidence Act, or PRIDE Act - legislation that would require states to report to the U.S. Justice Department all incidents in which an officer is involved in a shooting or where use of force by or against an officer results in serious bodily harm or death. Under the bill, the reports must include, at a minimum: the gender, race, ethnicity, and age of each individual who was shot, injured, or killed; the date, time, and location of the incident; the number of officers and number of civilians involved in the incident; whether the civilian was armed with a weapon; and the type of force used against the officer, the civilian, or both, including the types of weapons used.

Currently, there is no comprehensive database tracking police shootings and no mandated reporting of use-of-force incidents by or against an officer that results in serious bodily harm or death. The PRIDE Act would correct this gaping hole in our national data collection systems, giving government officials, stakeholders, and the public the reliable information needed to develop best practices and improve accountability and transparency. 

The Senators wrote, "As you move forward with these reforms, we also urge you to ensure that local law enforcement agencies report complete and accurate data so that the public and policymakers know the full extent of these tragic incidents." 

The full text of the letter to Director Comey is below:

December 10, 2015        

Director James B. Comey
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20535

Dear Director Comey: 

We are very encouraged by your recent announcement that the FBI will reform its data collection system to better track violent encounters between police and members of the public. This is a critical first step toward restoring public trust in our criminal justice system. 

As you have acknowledged previously, the current lack of accurate information about police-involved shootings and other incidents causing harm or death is unacceptable. The first step toward fixing a problem is to understand the full extent of it-and we know that improving data collection will strengthen accountability and help save lives. Moreover, it will aid our nation's leaders in crafting new policy to improve community-police relations.

As you know, we have authored legislation-the Police Reporting of Information, Data and Evidence Act, or PRIDE Act-that would require law enforcement agencies nationwide to report to the United States Department of Justice all incidents in which an officer is involved in a shooting or where use of force by or against an officer results in serious bodily harm or death. 

As you move forward with these reforms, we also urge you to ensure that local law enforcement agencies report complete and accurate data so that the public and policymakers know the full extent of these tragic incidents. 

Justice and accountability go hand in hand, but they both depend upon reliable data. We thank you for your commitment to shining a much-needed spotlight on this critical issue so that we can prevent these tragedies in the future.

Sincerely,

Senator Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Senator Cory A. Booker
United States Senator

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