Senators move to reverse D.C. 'anti-police' policies

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(The Center Square) – Legislation to repeal “anti-police” policies in Washington, D.C., has been introduced in Congress, adding to a slew of legislation targeting the district.

The proposed legislation would repeal the D.C. Council’s Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which critics of the amendment say “imposed sweeping restrictions on law enforcement” in the district.

The amendment, which implemented several changes, including police restraint methods, pursuit policies, and evaluating bias in threat assessment, came under fire in 2023 when the House and Senate passed legislation to block the measure. Former President Joe Biden ultimately vetoed it. Democrats sustained the veto.

Supporters of the legislation say the amendment “weakens” law enforcement in the district. They say it bans “longstanding and proven police tactics,” strips “legal protections and due process rights for officers” and threatens law enforcement “safety by authorizing public release of records.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is among the group of senators leading the charge to repeal the measure. Cruz describes the measures as “Orwellian” and “anti-police,” citing the district’s crime problem.

“Violent crime has become endemic in Washington DC as a direct result of political and ideological decisions made by Democrats. Those decisions included passing and trying to lock in anti-police measures such as the Orwellian-named Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, which undermined police morale, weakened officer retention, and contributed to a still-ongoing public safety disaster,” Cruz argued. “The CLEAN D.C. Act will reverse that decision, and I call upon my colleagues in Congress to pass it.”

The legislation is being cosponsored by Sens. Jim Risch, R-Idaho; Mike Lee, R-Utah; Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; John Cornyn, R-Texas; Ted Budd, R-N.C.; and Katie Britt, R-Ala.

Lee, a vocal critic of the district’s handling of crime, introduced legislation in February to rescind the D.C. Home Rule Act. The senator calls out Congress for failing to keep the district safe.

“For too long, Congress has failed to keep D.C. safe and allowed corrupt local officials to prioritize politics over people’s lives. The CLEAN D.C. Act is a step in the right direction as Congress reasserts its constitutional duty to safeguard D.C.,” said Lee.

Since President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency on Aug. 11, deploying the National Guard to patrol the streets and increasing patrols by federal law enforcement officers, crime is down dramatically, with the district going nearly two weeks without a homicide.

D.C. Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser, who initially opposed the president’s action, has acknowledged that the surge has helped crack down on crime.