General
Letter to House on Police Reform (Final)
Dear Representative: Across our country, indeed across the entire world, people are examining yet once more the evil of racism, both historic and present, and its devastating effects on individuals and society. In the wake of the terrible and unjust killing of George Floyd, Rayshard Brooks, and so many more, we the undersigned committee chairmen of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, write to you as you consider proposals around policing and criminal justice. Law enforcement officers perform a great and needed service; they serve to promote justice and the common good in society. But it is clear that there have been too many failures in serving everyone, with tragic consequences. There must be better practices for formation and accountability for police, certainly in the use of lethal force, but also in patterns of discrimination and prejudice, so that real accountability can happen before more lives are lost.