Gianna Floyd, daughter of George Floyd, holds a pen during a signing ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
US President Biden has signed an executive order to reform federal and local policing on the second anniversary of the custodial killing of George Floyd.
Biden signed the order on Wednesday, implementing sweeping reforms for federal law enforcement, including a body camera mandate, and the creation of a misconduct database.
"I just signed an Executive Order that delivers the most significant police reform in decades," Biden said.
"It will increase accountability, ban chokeholds, restrict no-knock entries, and more for federal law enforcement officers — and it incentivises state and local officers to do the same."
The decision reflects Biden's struggle to use the limited powers of his office to advance his campaign promises, as well as his attempt to strike a balance between police and civil rights groups at a time when rising concerns about crime are eclipsing calls for reform.
The order requires federal law enforcement to review and revise policies on the use of force, and it would restrict the flow of surplus military equipment to local police.
In addition, it would encourage limitations on chokeholds and no-knock warrants by attaching strings to federal funding.
READ MORE: US senator begs for gun compromise after Texas school massacre
I’ve called on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, but Senate Republicans have stood in the way of progress. That’s why this afternoon, I’m taking action and signing an Executive Order that delivers the most significant police reform in decades.
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 25, 2022
Two years after Floyd's killing
Floyd's killing on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis sparked massive protests against racism and police brutality that spread across the United States and globally.
Floyd, an African-American, was murdered by a police officer who knelt on his neck for nearly 10 minutes during an arrest.
"To heal as a nation, we must acknowledge that fatal encounters with law enforcement have disproportionately involved Black and brown people," the White House said.
The text, which has taken months to work out, provides for a series of measures that will concern federal law enforcement agencies.
The executive order establishes a national database of police misconduct, mandates the use of body-worn cameras, and bans, in all but the most exceptional of cases, the use of chokeholds and carotid restraints.
But these restrictions will not be imposed on states and local authorities, which in the United States have very extensive police and judicial powers.
For that, it would take a law, passed by Congress, which the Democratic president has failed to pass.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.