President Donald Trump has revoked an executive order that created a nationwide database tracking police misconduct. The database, launched in December 2023, aimed to prevent officers with histories of abuse from switching jobs undetected.
The Department of Justice confirmed the shutdown, which was part of Trump’s broader rollback of Biden-era policies. The database, proposed after George Floyd’s 2020 death, documented misconduct cases from 2017 onward, covering nearly 150,000 officers.
Floyd’s killing, in which officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for over nine minutes, sparked nationwide protests. His last words, “I can’t breathe,” became a symbol of the movement against police brutality. Chauvin was later sentenced to over 20 years in prison.
Critics argue that removing the database undermines police accountability. Thomas Abt from the University of Maryland stated, “Everyone… has an interest in keeping officers with histories of serious misconduct from rejoining the profession.” Lauren Bonds of the National Police Accountability Project added, “Trump has made clear… he doesn’t think law enforcement accountability advances public safety.”
The Trump administration justified the move, calling the database an “illegal, radical” measure embedded in federal agencies.
