Clay Wants To Clamp Down On Deadly Force By Police

Federal law enforcement officers would have less latitude to use deadly force under a bill U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay plans to introduce.

Clay, D-University City, wants to raise the threshold for when it is acceptable for federal officers to kill a person in confrontations. He said that other tactics — such as de-escalation strategies — should be employed first, and that deadly force should only be used as a last resort.

Through his bill, Clay would also try to force state and local law enforcement agencies to adopt higher standards for engaging in deadly force.

The legislation will call for federal funding to be withheld from local police departments and sheriffs who refuse to raise the bar for shooting or otherwise harming suspects during a confrontation, he said. States would have some discretion on what types of punishments would be in place for not meeting the higher standards.

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/clay-wants-clamp-down-deadly-force-police