Staff Reports
The Biden administration has rolled out yet another ambitious plan to keep America safe, and this time it involves a shiny new database aimed at tracking law enforcement officers accused of misconduct. Born out of the chaos that was the 2020 George Floyd riots, this initiative under Executive Order 14074 is the result of a deep commitment from President Biden and Vice President Harris to implement “effective and accountable policing.” Because what could say “safety” more than a national registry of cops who might want to think twice before hitting the streets?
The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), a mouthful of a name that perfectly encapsulates government bureaucracy, is being touted as a revolutionary tool for police departments across the country. Handcrafted by the Department of Justice, the database is aimed at preventing the hiring of officers with checkered histories. Only in a world governed by the Biden administration could a database designed to weed out bad apples be presented as a revolutionary peacekeeping force.
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Advances Public Trust Through Federal Police Misconduct Database | The White House https://t.co/oZZjo7IgJ2
— Erik Alda (@poleffi) October 29, 2024
Proponents of the database are celebrating its rollout, claiming success in improving transparency and accountability within law enforcement. It’s unclear, however, if anyone ever asked the officers on the beat whether they wanted more layers of bureaucracy in their already-demanding jobs. The administration has proudly reported that the database contains over 5,300 records of misconduct linked to more than 4,300 past and present federal officers. Considering there are around 150,000 federal law enforcement officers, one can only wonder if they are looking to create a more accountable workforce or just putting together a detailed list of every tiny infraction the president’s team can find.
The administration is pushing hard on the narrative that NLEAD is working—conducting thousands of checks on officers to ensure prospective hires are squeaky clean. If only they could have that level of scrutiny on, say, the southern border. While NLEAD plays an important role in vetting officers, the execution of public safety sometimes takes a back seat to political grandstanding. One has to ponder whether a data-driven approach to policing is what the nation needs, or if it’s just more fodder for progressive power plays.
With Biden proudly announcing that all 90 federal agencies employing law enforcement have complied with this executive order, one can’t help but reflect on how much time and taxpayer money may have been spent to make this database a reality. Touching on “advancing effective and accountable policing,” the administration is positioning the NLEAD as a beacon of hope for community safety. However, it remains to be seen if these measures will actually lead to any tangible improvements in the lives of the average American citizen who might actually want less government surveillance, not more.
Biden and Harris may be patting themselves on the back over this “victory” in safety and accountability, but the real winners here are the bureaucrats who thrive in an ever-expanding web of administrative oversight. In the end, as street cops across America get bogged down in paperwork, communities just might wonder whether this database is truly helping them— or if it’s just another tool to make policing more complicated than it needs to be.
