Police oversight bill headed to Obama


By Ramsey Cox

The Senate passed a bill Wednesday to investigate the deaths of people being held under police custody.
H.R. 1447, the Death in Custody Reporting Act, would require states receiving some federal funds to report to the U.S. attorney general every quarter on whether any person arrested or detained died while in police custody.
The bill, which comes after several unarmed African-American men have been killed by local law enforcement, would also require the attorney general to study how it could reduce the number of deaths that occur under police custody.

The House passed the measure by voice vote last year. The Senate passed it through a unanimous consent agreement, meaning it now heads to President Obama’s desk for him to sign it into law.