Congressman Fred Upton and his Problem Solvers Caucus are looking to craft legislation to help fight police brutality. He tells WSJM News in the weeks that have followed the death of George Floyd, he and others in the U.S. House see the problem and want to help. Upton notes there is already a bill on police conduct making its way through the House.
“It’s my understanding that the House Judiciary Committee is likely to have a hearing a little bit later this week, and maybe even move it to what we call the mark up status, where you actually offer amendments and you pass a bill out of committee, as early as next week,” Upton said.
Upton says there are some obvious reforms that shouldn’t be controversial, like a registry for police officers with records of misconduct.
“There’s no reason why we can’t have a national registry for departments to protect themselves and make sure officers are the quality of folks that they want. I have long supported having officers have body cams, not only for their protection, but also to let a community know what really happened.”
Upton also says a ban on choke holds makes sense. Last week, Karen Bass, the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus, joined as a guest on the Problem Solvers Caucus conference call to discuss ideas for ending racial injustice and police brutality. Upton says accountability at all levels is absolutely required.
