US Justice Department shuts down federal police misconduct database

The US Department of Justice has confirmed the shutdown of the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), the first nationwide initiative to track misconduct among federal police officers.

The database, which was launched in December 2023, was decommissioned following an executive order from President Donald Trump that revoked a series of policies enacted by the Biden administration, including the database, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The NLEAD aimed to improve public safety by helping prevent officers with histories of misconduct from transferring between law enforcement agencies without consequences. It included nearly 150,000 federal officers and agents from agencies like the FBI, IRS, and Border Patrol. By the end of 2023, all 90 executive branch agencies had contributed disciplinary records dating back to 2017, a report by the Justice Department said.

Trump’s revocation of Biden’s policies was part of an ongoing effort to reduce the size and cost of the federal government. His executive order also sought to undo other police reform initiatives, including use-of-force standards, body camera requirements, and anti-bias training. However, the White House and the Justice Department have not provided an explanation for why the misconduct database was decommissioned.

Critics, including law enforcement accountability experts, expressed disappointment at the decision. Thomas Abt, director of the Violence Reduction Center at the University of Maryland, stated, “Everyone, cops and communities alike, has an interest in keeping officers with histories of serious misconduct from rejoining the profession.” He added that, “Nonpartisan public safety reforms like these should be placed above politics and maintained across administrations.”

Lauren Bonds, executive director of the National Police Accountability Project, also condemned the shutdown, saying, “Trump has made clear through actions such as this that he doesn’t think law enforcement accountability advances public safety.” She emphasized that while the database only tracked federal officers, it was still crucial given the potential for federal agencies, such as Immigration and Border Patrol, to affect vulnerable populations' civil rights.

Trevor Hugh Davis, a researcher who tracks disappearing government websites, noted that the database had been taken offline on January 24, 2024. He commented, “We have lost countless records of disciplinary actions, terminations, complaints and settlements related to police misconduct.”

The shutdown does not affect the National Decertification Index, a registry of state and local police officers who have lost their certifications due to misconduct. However, experts argue that the federal database was an essential tool for preventing "wandering officers" from moving between departments after being fired for misconduct.

While the initiative was relatively new, it had already shown signs of success, with over 4,000 officers in the database and more than 4,800 reports of misconduct. Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, stated, “Problem officers tend to move from agency to agency, and police chiefs and sheriffs want access to any information that can help them avoid hiring a problem officer.”

By Vafa Guliyeva