Local police departments are not required to report to the federal government about cases where police officers fatally shoot civilians. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) wants to change that. He has struggled to find momentum for legislation that would require such data collection, even after a string of high-profile police shootings over the past several years, McClatchy Newspapers reports. Scott introduced the “Walter Scott Notification Act” in 2015, named for the unarmed black man in North Charleston, S.C., who was shot and killed by a police officer who later pleaded guilty to federal charges and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. (Walter Scott was not related to Sen. Scott).
The measure would require any state that receives federal law enforcement grants to submit annual reports to the Justice Department about instances involving police shootings that resulted in death. The reports would include the ages and races of the individuals involved, a description of the event, an account of what disciplinary or legal actions followed and whether the victim was armed or had mental health issues. Scott tried unsuccessfully to attach his bill to a prison reform bill passed Tuesday by the Senate. Failure to submit this information could result in a withholding of 10 percent of federal law enforcement grant funding. James Pasco of the Fraternal Order of Police said his organization doesn’t support legislation that would threaten federal funding as an enforcement mechanism. Pasco said Scott’s bill should also mandate reports of attacks on police officers by civilians. DOJ has been required to collect and report on police use-of-force data since 1994, but police agencies are not required to submit information. The 1994 law requiring such collection says the data “may not contain any information that may reveal the identity of the victim or any law enforcement officer.”