Today, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) released the following statement regarding his support for the Justice in Policing Act 2020:

“I am proud to be an original cosponsor of the Justice in Policing Act. Making our justice system equal for all will take action from all levels of government, but this is a powerful model from the federal government. This legislation would increase police accountability in courts; require more accurate data of police misconduct and use-of-force; change the standard for use-of-force from reasonable to necessary and ban chokeholds; and finally, make it a federal crime to violate hate crime laws. 

“I am encouraged and inspired by the peaceful protests in all 50 states and all over the world over the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and the countless other deaths from police brutality. People everywhere are crying out for justice with their voices and their bodies, even in this time of a deadly pandemic. People have been moved to speak up, stand up, take a knee to make some noise for change. This legislation represents the beginning of that change.”

A complete breakdown of the Justice in Policing Act is here.