The U.S. Justice Department created a database to track records of misconduct by federal law enforcement officers that is aimed at preventing agencies from unknowingly hiring problem officers, the Associated Press reports. The federal move is a step toward accountability amid growing calls to close loopholes that allow law enforcement officers to be rehired by other agencies after losing their jobs or resigning after misconduct allegations. The creation of the database was part of President Biden's 2022 executive order on policing, which included dozens of measures aimed at increasing accountability for federal law enforcement officers. “This database will ensure that records of serious misconduct by federal law enforcement officers are readily available to agencies considering hiring those officers,” Biden said.
The database, which will contain only records for federal officers and not be open to the public, falls short of the national misconduct database sought by some police reform advocates. The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database currently includes only former and current Justice Department officers who have records of serious misconduct over the last seven years. It will be expanded in the next two months to capture other federal law enforcement agencies such as the Secret Service and United States Park Police.