Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
On May 25, 2021, the first anniversary of the killing of George Floyd by then Minneapolis Officer Derek Chauvin, President Joe Biden invited his family to the White House.
At the time, Biden expressed optimism that the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act would become law.
That didn’t happen.
On the second anniversary of Floyd’s death, Biden plans to issue an executive order on police reform, which administration officials say will establish new rules for the use of force by federal law enforcement officers.
“It’s an effort to be responsive,” administration officials stated. The order likely would mimic California’s police reform law, which requires that any new police officer in the Golden State be at least 21-year-old.
The law also allows for the discipline of officers who fail to intervene when another law enforcement member uses excessive force.
The California statute also places firm limits on when officers are allowed to use deadly force, noting that such actions are only permitted when necessary to defend human life.
Previously in California, an officer could use deadly force as long as they personally deemed it “reasonable.”
Following the murder conviction of Chauvin, three other cops were found guilty in federal court of violating Floyd’s civil rights. Then officer Thomas Lane recently agreed to a plea deal to avoid state prosecution and serve two years in federal prison. The other two officers involved, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao, face a state trial this summer.
Prosecutors said the trio stood by while Chauvin pressed his knee into the unarmed 46-year-old Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.
“I am pleased Thomas Lane has accepted responsibility for his role in Floyd’s death,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison stated.
“His acknowledgment that he did something wrong is an important step toward healing the wounds of the Floyd family, our community, and the nation,” Ellison continued. “While accountability is not justice, this is a significant moment in this case and a necessary resolution on our continued journey to justice.”
On the second anniversary of Floyd’s death, President Joe Biden plans to issue an executive order on police reform, which administration officials say will establish new rules for the use of force by federal law enforcement officers.
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