Keeping Cops Honest: Police Misconduct Databases

It was after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 that then-president Trump recommended creating a database to house occurrences of officer use of excessive force. It took until 2022 to actually create that data base under then-president Biden, when an executive order defined several issues related to police misconduct, including:
- Improving research on law enforcement use of force;
- Creating better standards related to law enforcement use of force;
- Requiring officers to undergo anti-bias training;
- Demanding appropriate law-enforcement use of body cameras;
- Creating a database to document police misconduct.
That database included roughly 150,000 federal officers with records involving actions in seven different categories:
- Incidents leading to a suspension;
- Misconduct resulting in a termination;
- Retirements or resignations offered when an officer was under investigation for misconduct;
- Serious or repeated misconduct leading to disciplinary action;
- Any civil judgments related to police misconduct;
- Any criminal convictions.
For the Record
Nearly 5,000 records related to misconduct of a federal officer were contained in the database as of mid 2024. While the records were not available for public perusal, it was open for law enforcement agencies to view when officers applied for new positions. Many view the database as a critical tool to keep bad officers out of the profession. Nonetheless, the entire executive order was revoked immediately following President Trump’s re-election in January 2025.
Why Was it Revoked?
The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO)—which represents over 240,000 officers– had serious concerns with the database, primarily that individuals had no opportunity to dispute material that was written about them before it was entered into the database. Additionally, they believed only serious misconduct violations should be included.
State and Local Agencies
Critics of the revocation fear that when federal officers with shady histories attempt to transfer to different agencies or move into local law enforcement there will be no way to know about their backgrounds. Fortunately, local agencies generally hire from other local or state agencies, and there is a database for those agencies, called the National Decertification Index (NDI) so checks to an officers’ out-of-state records is available. “Wandering cops”—those who skip around due to misconduct issues—can be detected when agencies use this background check system, and over 70 percent of agencies find it helpful. And while the system does use federal money, it is not dependent on it, so the likelihood of it going away anytime soon is slim.
Defending Against Police Misconduct
The experienced Las Vegas criminal defense attorneys at Lobo Law want to give you every legal option when fighting criminal charges, especially when police misconduct is a factor. To discuss your situation, schedule a confidential consultation on our Las Vegas Office today.
Source:
fd.org/news/doj-deletes-police-misconduct-database