U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) on Tuesday introduced the Police Training and Independent Review Act to help prevent police-involved deaths and encourage independent and impartial investigations into law enforcement officials’ use of deadly force. The legislation, introduced as a companion to identical House legislation drafted by Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN) and Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice Congressman Lacy Clay (D-MO), is supported by a broad coalition of more than 90 members of Congress as well as the NAACP.

The Police Training and Independent Review Act would create an incentive for states to eliminate the inherent conflict of interest that arises when local prosecutors are asked to investigate, and potentially prosecute, the same local police departments with whom they work so closely on a daily basis. The bill would encourage the use of independent prosecutors in cases where a civilian death or injury results from police use of deadly force. It would also encourage states to provide training to law enforcement on ethnic and racial diversity as well as best practices for working with members of the community who are disabled or mentally ill. Assigning cases of police-involved deaths to external and independent prosecutors was a key recommendation of President Obama’s Taskforce on 21st Century Policing. Cosponsors of the legislation include House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), as well as Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-LA).