President Joe Biden announced an update on Monday to his May 2022 executive order that created a national database to track law enforcement officers accused of misconduct. This database was a product of the Department of Justice and one of the administration’s initiatives in response to the 2020 riots following the death of George Floyd.
“President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to doing everything we can to make our communities safer, including by advancing effective and accountable policing,” a press release from the White House said. “That’s why the President issued Executive Order 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, which, in part, requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a national database documenting misconduct by federal law enforcement officers.”
The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database is a tool used by police departments to ensure each department does not hire any employee with a questionable background or troubling work history, the Biden administration said, emphasizing that the database has the “participation of every federal agency that employs law enforcement officers.”
“The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) is operational and searchable by federal law enforcement agencies, so that agencies are able to hire or promote the best personnel, and avoid hiring candidates with disqualifying histories,” it noted.
The administration celebrated the NLEAD’s accomplishments, noting its effectiveness in improving transparency as well as other enhancements in police departments. The release cited thousands of incidents of police misconduct that law enforcement agencies can now access to screen candidates for employment because of the NLEAD. This includes misconduct incidents of over 4,000 current and former law enforcement officials.
“As of last month, every one of the 90 federal agencies that employs law enforcement officers, consistent with relevant collective bargaining agreements, has reported into NLEAD as required by the Executive Order,” the release said. “The database contains 5,300 records covering misconduct for more than 4,300 past and present federal officers over the last 7 years. There are currently more than 150,000 law enforcement officers across the federal government.”
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“This year, federal agencies already have conducted thousands of NLEAD checks to identify potential misconduct before making critical decisions about hiring, promotions, and officer work assignments,” the release noted.
The Biden administration stressed its commitment to improving safety in the country’s communities and credited the database with helping to accomplish that objective. The release underscored the importance of “advancing effective and accountable policing.”
