Thousands of communities across the country are in desperate need of peace of mind. Peace of mind in knowing that those who wear the badge, protect and serve the communities that have been entrusted to them. Protect and serve; not shoot, strangle, or beat to death. Unfortunately the latter against unarmed civilians is an all to common occurrence in the greatest nation on earth.

For too long law enforcement in the United States of America have been abusing their power to the detriment of those they serve and suffering very little consequence. Frustrated communities have cried out for decades and while the saying goes 'justice is blind' it appears she is also deaf.

When the abused and downtrodden feel they have no outlet, no representation and little value, they take to the streets in an expression of disgust and dismay. Unfortunately little has been proposed to restrain the behavior of shoot first and ask questions later or see the value of life in a person who has their hands in the air, behind their back or in restraints. As a result mothers are burying their sons, fathers are burying their daughters; sisters and brothers are forced to say premature goodbyes. 

In a effort to help make these families and communities whole, we propose the 'Accountability to Citizens' Act. This legislation will require a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years for the offending officer(s) and the surrender of his or her pension and benefits to the victim's family.  While this outcome is not meant to put a price on the victim's life it will go a long way to providing sustained financial security for the impacted family.

This is not an attack on law enforcement, this is a plea. A plea for law enforcement to reevaluate the training and execution of community engagement. Only with accountability can both law enforcement and the communities they serve come together and resolve this issue.