Congressman Al Green Speaks at National Action Network’s Justice For All March in Washington, DC

(Washington, D.C.)—On Saturday, December 13, 2014, Congressman Al Green (TX-09) addressed the crowd at the Justice For All March on Freedom Plaza, where he joined fellow elected leaders, civil rights leaders, and the families of those affected by police brutality to call for justice.

"It is critical that we rededicate ourselves to the cause of justice for all,” Congressman Al Green said. “We are at a critical turning point in the history of our nation where people of good will who believe in liberty and justice for all must actively be a part of the solution or passively be a part of the problem.”

Congressman Al Green continued, “I support the efforts of peace officers to serve and protect our community. I also believe strongly in the rule of law. However, I, along with many other people of good will, believe that more can be done to make law enforcement more accountable and transparent such that police officers are better able to work in their communities. I also wholeheartedly believe lawmakers should act to better understand how we can increase transparency and accountability in all levels of law enforcement. I have introduced H.R. 5407, the Transparency in Policing Act (TIP) of 2014, which would require state and local law enforcement agencies that receive funds from the Department of Justice to acquire body cameras for use by their law enforcement officers. Although this bill is not a panacea, it is a significant step in the right direction. I believe that having our officers wear body cameras can bring much-needed additional transparency to communities in many future controversial police/civilian actions. Currently, numerous major police departments around the country have conducted studies, introduced pilot programs, or currently require officers to wear body cameras, including the Ferguson Police Department. While this is a positive development, the TIP Act would allow us to move forward together as a nation on the issue of transparency and accountability in law enforcement rather than one city, county, or state at a time.”

On September 8, 2014, Congressman Al Green introduced H.R. 5407, the Transparency in Policing (TIP) Act of 2014, which would require state and local law enforcement agencies that receive funds from the Department of Justice to acquire body cameras for use by their law enforcement officers. It would require that the Attorney General conduct a study on the cost of using body cameras by state and local law enforcement agencies. The bill would also grant the Attorney General the ability to waive the requirement for the purchase of body cameras if compliance was determined to create an economic hardship for a particular law enforcement agency.