This new bill would require all states to report police shootings to the DOJ
Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) introduced a bill Tuesday that would require states to report all police shootings to the Department of Justice.
In a statement to announce the legislation, the senators cited reporting from The Washington Post published Sunday, which found that 2015 has seen at least 385 police killings nationwide so far.
"Too many members of the public and police officers are being killed, and we don't have reliable statistics to track these tragic incidents," Boxer said in a statement. "This bill will ensure that we know the full extent of the problem so we can save lives on all sides."
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The Post notes that the new bill would differ from the Death in Custody Reporting Act, which Congress approved last year, because it would require reporting non-fatal shootings, in addition to fatal ones, to the DOJ. The new legislation would require reporting details about the shooting victims including age, gender, race, and whether or not the victims were armed.
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Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
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