Trump and Elon Musk have wiped out the national database of police misconduct. Nearly 150,000 records of misconduct by federal officers erased, like it never happened. Why would Trump get rid of the database he created? Because Trump will drastically scale back police accountability to appease right-wing TV and X commentators.
After George Floyd was killed in 2020, Trump—and the country—had a moment of reckoning. We couldn’t turn a blind eye anymore.
In response, Trump issued an executive order that reflected best practices in policing to keep officers and communities safe and hold officers who violate people’s civil rights accountable.
Even the Heritage Foundation said, “it was welcome news in troubled times.”
In response, Trump issued an executive order that reflected best practices in policing to keep officers and communities safe and hold officers who violate people’s civil rights accountable.
Even the Heritage Foundation said, “it was welcome news in troubled times.”
Police organizations helped draft the order and other reforms. They applauded it as a positive step for law enforcement. They joined Trump to celebrate the reforms at a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden.
Before this, there was no simple way to know if an applicant had a history of misconduct. That is why police were supportive – because hiring bad officers is bad for their communities...and for police.
Misconduct hurts the entire profession and costs cash-strapped departments and cities millions of dollars every year.
Misconduct hurts the entire profession and costs cash-strapped departments and cities millions of dollars every year.
Cops with histories of misconduct who never should have worked in law enforcement again included the officer who shot Sonya Massey in the face after she called for help. He had a history of drunk driving and had been discharged from the Army for serious misconduct.
Four of the five officers who beat Tyre Nichols to death had disciplinary histories or suspensions, including for domestic violence and covering up use of force during arrests.
The cop who shot and killed 14-year-old Tamir Rice in a park left another police department 2 years before the shooting. Supervisors were in the process of firing him because he had an “inability to perform basic functions as instructed” and was “emotionally unstable.”
The point is that police misconduct records are critical to ensuring departments don’t hire bad or dangerous cops. So much so, that the conservative Manhattan Institute recommends departments report this information and review it as part of any applicant’s background check.
Trump obliterating the misconduct database is what’s anti-police because it strips law enforcement agencies of a vital tool that helps them avoid hiring officers with a disciplinary or misconduct history.
But no matter how hard he tries to hide police brutality, he can’t run from constitutional checks and balances. Trump must reestablish the database and reestablish trust in our federal law enforcement.
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