National Police Misuse of Force Investigation Board Act of 2025
The National Police Misuse of Force Investigation Board Act of 2025 would create an independent National Police Misuse of Force Investigation Board (the Board) within the federal government. The Board would consist of eight presidentially appointed members (with Senate confirmation), including a Chair and Vice Chair, who serve staggered six-year terms. Its purpose is to oversee investigations into police use-of-force incidents—specifically deaths in police custody, officer-involved shootings, and uses of force causing severe injury in custody—and to produce reports, findings, and recommendations aimed at reducing such incidents. The bill also allows for special “boards of inquiry” when a case involves systemic concerns or civil rights issues in a community. In addition to investigative work, the Board would publish annual and periodic reports, engage with families affected by incidents, and coordinate with federal, state, and local entities. Funding, oversight, and accountability provisions (including inspector general review, GAO audits, and grant conditions for states receiving federal funds) are included to ensure implementation and compliance. In short, the bill would formalize a federally led, independent body to systematically investigate police misuse of force, promote transparency, assist civilians and families, and condition certain federal grants on reform and accountability. It would also create mechanisms for data collection, public reporting, and intergovernmental cooperation, while providing for oversight and potential enforcement if progress on recommendations stalls.
Key Points
- 1Establishment, structure, and leadership of the Board: An independent federal body with 8 members appointed by the President with Senate approval; no more than 4 members from the same party; at least 4 members with expertise in civil rights law, psychology, racial inequality, socioeconomics, or conflict mitigation; 6-year terms; a designated Chair and Vice Chair with 2-year terms.
- 2Investigative scope and authority: The Board shall investigate deaths in police custody, officer-involved shootings, and uses of force causing severe bodily injury in police custody; it can hold hearings, issue subpoenas, and coordinate with other government entities; it can establish special boards of inquiry when substantial civil rights or racial justice concerns are present; it may order autopsies and preserve or test weapons involved.
- 3Reporting, data, and information handling: The Board must prepare public-facing reports with demographic data on victims and involved officers, incident circumstances, and outcomes; it must produce periodic reports and an annual comprehensive report; records are generally public but with specified confidentiality protections and limits; the Board can use recordings/transcripts carefully in related proceedings, with protective and sealing provisions as appropriate.
- 4Assistance to civilians and families: The Board must designate a director of family support services and an independent nonprofit to provide emotional care and coordination for civilians and families affected by incidents; families should be briefed before public releases and allowed to attend public hearings; there are protections against interference in providing support services, and a process for continuing assistance post-incident.
- 5Funding, oversight, and grant-related consequences: The Act authorizes appropriations as needed, may authorize fees for services, and establishes offsetting collections; it also ties grant eligibility for states/localities (under existing crime control programs) to compliance with Board findings and reform recommendations, with potential reductions (1-10%) for noncompliance and possible reallocation to compliant states; oversight includes DOJ Inspector General review, GAO audits, and annual reporting on implementation progress.