Progressive Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed new legislation that would roll back much of the progressive police reforms passed by the city council following the death of George Floyd.
Bowser’s announcement Monday came as the nation’s capital faces a spike in violent crime. Critics have long said the reforms made it more difficult for Metropolitan Police Department officers to enforce public safety, the New York Post reports.
Bowser’s proposal — dubbed the Addressing Crime Trends Now, or ACT Now, bill — would specifically clarify or amend parts of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Amendment Act, according to Bloomberg.
The ACT Now bill would clarify the law’s definition of a chokehold, which Metropolitan police said was so broad that even “incidental” police contact with a suspect’s neck during an arrest was considered a serious use of force.
Additionally, language in the bill would specify what use-of-force incidents necessitate the release of body-worn camera footage to the public, and would amend the city’s restrictions on vehicular pursuits — allowing officers to once again engage in a chase if they believe a person has committed a crime and poses an imminent threat to others, and if they believe the chase would not endanger others, according to DCist.
In addition to nixing the reforms, the new proposal would target organized retail thefts and open-air drug markets in the city.
Speaking of the police reforms this legislation seeks to undo, Bower said the reforms “don’t match the daily practice of safe and effective policing.”
Acting Police Chief Pamela A. Smith said the proposal is a step in the right direction.
