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National Law Enforcement Accountability Database

Description

On May 25, 2022, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., issued Executive Order (EO) 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety. One goal of the EO was to “commit to new practices in law enforcement recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention, as well as training, oversight, and accountability.” 1 To help accomplish this goal, Section 5 of the EO directed the U.S. Attorney General to establish the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) as “a centralized repository of official records documenting instances of law enforcement officer misconduct as well as commendations and awards.” 2 The Justice Management Division (JMD) was given responsibility for developing and maintaining the NLEAD, which was launched on December 18, 2023. 3 

The EO also directed the U.S. Attorney General to publish on at least an annual basis a report that contains data from the NLEAD in a manner that does not jeopardize law enforcement officer anonymity due to the size of the agency or other factors. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) was given responsibility for producing the annual report. JMD provided BJS access to a limited-variable version of the NLEAD for the purpose of developing the report and BJS published a report on December 18, 2024. 4 

On January 20, 2025, EO 14074 was revoked by President Donald J. Trump under EO 14148, Additional Recissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions. 5 As a result, the NLEAD is no longer active. The U.S. Department of Justice decommissioned the NLEAD in accordance with federal standards and will not publish any additional reports.

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1See Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety

2Ibid

3See Justice Department Launches National Law Enforcement Accountability Database

4See National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, 2018–2023 | Bureau of Justice Statistics

5See Initial Rescissions Of Harmful Executive Orders And Actions – The White House

Date Created: December 11, 2024