“President Biden and Vice President Harris are committed to doing everything we can to make our communities safer, including by advancing effective and accountable policing,” read a press release from the White House. “That’s why the President issued Executive Order 14074, Advancing Effective, Accountable Policing and Criminal Justice Practices To Enhance Public Trust and Public Safety, which, in part, requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to establish a national database documenting misconduct by federal law enforcement officers.” 

Identified as the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database, it is a tool utilized by police departments around the country to ensure that each department does not hire any employee with questionable backgrounds and troubling work histories, as the Biden administration claimed in the release. The Biden administration emphasized that it had the “participation of every federal agency that employs law enforcement officers.”

“The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) is operational and searchable by federal law enforcement agencies, so that agencies are able to hire or promote the best personnel, and avoid hiring candidates with disqualifying histories,” noted the release. 

The administration celebrated NLEAD’s accomplishments since its implementation. It noted its effectiveness in improving transparency and multiple other enhancements in police departments nationwide that the administration said were due to the database. The release cited thousands of incidents of police misconduct that law enforcement agencies could now access to screen candidates for employment because of the NLEAD. This included misconduct incidents of over 4000 current and former law enforcement officials.

“As of last month, every one of the 90 federal agencies that employs law enforcement officers, consistent with relevant collective bargaining agreements, has reported into NLEAD as required by the Executive Order,” read the release. “The database contains 5,300 records covering misconduct for more than 4,300 past and present federal officers over the last 7 years. There are currently more than 150,000 law enforcement officers across the federal government.”

“This year, federal agencies already have conducted thousands of NLEAD checks to identify potential misconduct before making critical decisions about hiring, promotions, and officer work assignments,” noted the release.

The Biden-Harris administration stressed its commitment to improving safety in the country’s communities and credited the new database with helping to accomplish that objective. The release underscored the importance of “advancing effective and accountable policing.”