New legislation sponsored by Democratic lawmakers would add questions about community trust in police to a major survey in order to better allocate federal resources to low-trust communities. The Washington Post reports:
The legislation, titled the Tracking Reputations Upgrades Societal Trust (TRUST) act, would add new questions specifically focused on trust in law enforcement to be asked during the annual National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The bill's sponsors say that the results of those new survey questions would allow the Justice Department to provide resources and tailor policy recommendations to communities where trust is low.
"Cooperation between police officers and the communities they serve reduces crime and strengthens neighborhoods. Unfortunately, the real and perceived lack of equity, dignity, and justice has eroded trust between the public and law enforcement," said Rep. Patrick E. Murphy, (D-Fla.), the bill's primary sponsor. "As a CPA, I know that in order to improve any metric, you have to start by measuring it. With a renewed focus on restoring public trust we can rebuild this essential relationship that makes our communities safer and better places to live."
The legislation is a direct response to one of the recommendations of Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing, and comes as many policing and civil rights groups as well as media organizations have advocated for more collection of data as it relates to law enforcement and policing. Co-sponsoring the bill are Reps. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), Mike Honda (D-Ca.) and Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.)
This legislation would not directly change police funding or support, but would allow the Justice Department to have a better sense of which communities need support. It would also give policymakers and policy analysts a powerful tool to understand the relationship between certain initiatives and societal factors, police conduct, and trust in police.