II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3968 

To create an award for law enforcement officers who exemplify best practices 

to reduce the excessive use of force or improve community policing, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 16, 2020 

Mr. COTTON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To create an award for law enforcement officers who exemplify best practices to reduce the excessive use of force 

or improve community policing, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Better Community Po5 licing Recognition Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AWARDS FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. 

7 Part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 

8 Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10381 et seq.) is 

9 amended— 


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•S 3968 IS

1 (1) by redesignating sections 1708 and 1709 

2 (34 U.S.C. 10388, 10389) as sections 1709 and 

3 1710, respectively; and 

4 (2) by inserting after section 1707 (34 U.S.C. 

5 10387) the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 1708. BETTER COMMUNITY POLICING AWARD. 

7 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 ‘‘(1) BETTER COMMUNITY POLICING AWARD.— 

9 The term ‘Better Community Policing Award’ means 

10 an award authorized under subsection (b). 

11 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER.— 

12 The term ‘eligible law enforcement officer’ means a 

13 career law enforcement officer who is— 

14 ‘‘(A) employed by a law enforcement agen15 cy receiving funding from a grant under section 

16 1701; and 

17 ‘‘(B) nominated for a Better Community 

18 Policing Award by— 

19 ‘‘(i) the law enforcement agency that 

20 employs the law enforcement officer; or 

21 ‘‘(ii) the attorney general of the State 

22 in which the law enforcement agency that 

23 employs the law enforcement officer is lo24 cated. 


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•S 3968 IS

1 ‘‘(b) AWARDS AUTHORIZED.—The Attorney General 

2 may distribute cash awards to eligible law enforcement of3 ficers who exemplify best practices or significant innova4 tion to— 

5 ‘‘(1) reduce the excessive use of force; or 

6 ‘‘(2) improve community policing. 

7 ‘‘(c) CRITERIA.—Not later than 90 days after the 

8 date of enactment of this section, the Attorney General 

9 shall establish— 

10 ‘‘(1) the process by which a law enforcement 

11 agency or the attorney general of a State may nomi12 nate an eligible law enforcement officer for a Better 

13 Community Policing Award; 

14 ‘‘(2) the criteria for the selection of recipients 

15 of a Better Community Policing Award; and 

16 ‘‘(3) the maximum amount of a Better Commu17 nity Policing Award. 

18 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

19 of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the 

20 Attorney General shall submit to Congress a report that 

21 includes, for the previous calendar year— 

22 ‘‘(1) the number of nominations received by the 

23 Attorney General for a Better Community Policing 

24 Award; 


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•S 3968 IS

1 ‘‘(2) the number of Better Community Policing 

2 Awards distributed by the Attorney General; 

3 ‘‘(3) a geographical breakdown of the location 

4 of the recipients of a Better Community Policing 

5 Award; and 

6 ‘‘(4) information relating to the size of each law 

7 enforcement agency that— 

8 ‘‘(A) nominated a law enforcement officer 

9 for a Better Community Policing Award; or 

10 ‘‘(B) employed a recipient of a Better 

11 Community Policing Award. 

12 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

14 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 though 2025.’’. 

Æ 


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