The Trump administration has shut down a national database tracking misconduct by federal law enforcement officers, eliminating a key tool for preventing problematic officers from moving undetected between agencies.
The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), created by President Joe Biden in 2023, was officially decommissioned, the Justice Department confirmed. “User agencies can no longer query or add data to the NLEAD,” a statement read. The website hosting the database is no longer active.
NLEAD, which was not publicly available, allowed law enforcement agencies to check whether an officer had prior misconduct records, such as excessive force violations. Policing reform advocates had praised the database as a crucial step in accountability.
Trump, who initially proposed a misconduct tracking system in 2020, rescinded Biden’s executive order on his first day back in office, calling it “full of woke, anti-police concepts.” His administration argues that eliminating the database will better support law enforcement.
The move comes as police misconduct remains a pressing issue, with recent corruption investigations in departments like Hanceville, Alabama.
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