BALTIMORE – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), author of both the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act (S. 2168) and the End Racial Profiling Act (S. 1056), has written to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley urging him to take action on these two police reform bills as soon as the Senate returns in September. Senator Cardin has worked closely with Congressman John Conyers, the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee and Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, on both of these bills, which have been introduced in the House as H.R. 1933 (ERPA) and H.R. 2875 (LETIA).
“Americans can both support the police who protect our communities, sincerely mourning the deaths of those killed in the line of duty, and find it shameful that in 2016 a person still can be stopped by police simply because of the color of their skin, outward displays of religion or their perceived sexual orientation,” said Senator Cardin. “Across the country, senseless killings have eroded essential trust but Congress can take some commonsense steps to keep communities – particularly people of color – and law enforcement safe. When citizens and police work together as partners, America is safer and stronger.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on “Ending Racial Profiling in America” in April 2012, in which Sen. Cardin testified about his legislation.