I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6456 
To direct the National Institute of Justice to collect, study, and analyze 
data on incidents in which children have been seriously harmed or killed 
by law enforcement officers who were acting in their capacity as law 
enforcement officers. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 17, 2023 
Ms. WATERS (for herself, Mrs. MCBATH, Ms. ADAMS, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. 
BOWMAN, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Mrs. 
CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 
EVANS, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
IVEY, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KELLY of 
Illinois, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. NORTON, 
Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Ms. WIL-
LIAMS of Georgia, and Ms. WILSON of Florida) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To direct the National Institute of Justice to collect, study, 
and analyze data on incidents in which children have 
been seriously harmed or killed by law enforcement offi-
cers who were acting in their capacity as law enforcement 
officers. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Confronting Police Vi-
olence Against Children Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The duty of American law enforcement is to 
uphold the law and to serve and protect the public. 
(2) Many law enforcement officers are dedi-
cated to public service and perform their duties dili-
gently and responsibly, creating safer communities. 
(3) There have been multiple reports in recent 
years of children being seriously harmed or killed by 
law enforcement officers who were acting in their ca-
pacity as law enforcement officers. 
(4) In 2014, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot 
and killed by a law enforcement officer in Ohio with-
in seconds of the officer arriving on the scene. 
(5) In 2017, 17-year-old Armando Garcia-Muro 
was shot and killed by a ricocheting bullet, which 
was fired by a law enforcement officer at a dog in 
California. 
(6) In 2018, 16-year-old Anthony Jacob ‘‘AJ’’ 
Weber was shot and killed by a law enforcement of-
ficer in California who fired several shots into his 
upper body. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(7) In 2020, 16-year-old Eric Parsa, who had 
autism, died in Louisiana after being restrained face 
down on the pavement for over 9 minutes by mul-
tiple law enforcement officers, one of whom put him 
in a choke hold, while Parsa was experiencing a 
mental health crisis. 
(8) In 2020, 13-year-old Linden Cameron, who 
has Asperger’s Syndrome, was shot by a law en-
forcement officer in Utah while experiencing a men-
tal health crisis, after his mother dialed 911 for 
help. 
(9) In 2021, 1-year-old Legend Smalls was shot 
in the head by a law enforcement officer in Texas 
after the officer opened fire on a suspect who alleg-
edly attempted to steal the vehicle in which Smalls 
was seated. 
(10) In 2021, 13-year-old Adam Toledo was fa-
tally shot by a law enforcement officer in Illinois 
while his hands were in the air. 
(11) In 2021, 14-year-old Valentina Orellana- 
Peralta was shot and killed by a law enforcement of-
ficer in California. 
(12) In 2022, a 13-year-old boy identified as 
‘‘A.G.’’ was shot by a law enforcement officer in Illi-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
nois causing a major spinal cord injury while his 
hands were in the air. 
(13) In 2023, 11-year-old Aderrien Murry was 
shot in the chest by a law enforcement officer in 
Mississippi after he called the police to his home for 
help. 
(14) In 2023, 14-year-old Jor’Dell Richardson 
was fatally shot and killed by a law enforcement offi-
cer in Colorado. Jor’Dell Richardson begged to be 
taken to the hospital before he died. 
(15) Law enforcement officers lack the training 
and resources necessary to effectively address issues 
of mental health, and these issues may be more ap-
propriately handled with assistance from mental 
health experts and social workers. 
(16) Reports of incidents in which children are 
killed by law enforcement officers erode the trust of 
the American people in law enforcement officers and 
the agencies and systems they represent, and such 
reports therefore undermine the ability of law en-
forcement officers and agencies to carry out their 
mission of protecting the public. 
(17) A thorough investigation of the cir-
cumstances surrounding incidents of children being 
seriously harmed or killed by law enforcement offi-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
cers would help policymakers enact policies to ad-
dress these tragic incidents of violence in order to 
protect children and improve the effectiveness of law 
enforcement. 
SEC. 3. REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Insti-
tute of Justice shall prepare and submit a report to Con-
gress studying incidents in which children were seriously 
harmed or killed by Federal, State, Tribal, or local law 
enforcement officers who were acting in their official ca-
pacity as law enforcement officers (whether or not the offi-
cer was on duty) during the 15-year period prior to the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
(b) REQUIRED REVIEW.—In preparing the report re-
quired under this section, the Director shall, at a min-
imum, review and include in the report the following: 
(1) Demographic data and analysis pertaining 
to— 
(A) the age of the victims; 
(B) the race and ethnicity of the victims; 
(C) the gender of the victims; and 
(D) the socioeconomic status of the vic-
tims. 
(2) Information and analysis pertaining to— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(J) whether the incidents involved harm to 
or the death of other individuals, including 
other law enforcement officers, associates of the 
child, or members of the public, and if so, 
whose actions directly led to the additional 
deaths or harm; 
(K) reports of excessive force having been 
used by the law enforcement officers prior to 
the incidents; 
(L) whether the use of force by the law en-
forcement officers was determined to be justi-
fied and proportional, on what basis any such 
determination was made, and by whom; and 
(M) the consequences faced by the law en-
forcement officers who were responsible for the 
harm or death. 
(c) REQUIRED CONSULTATION.—In preparing the re-
port required under this section, the Director shall meet 
with, and consider any facts and analyses offered by, pros-
ecutors, defense attorneys, family attorneys, judges, med-
ical experts, non-profit organizations, victims service pro-
viders, culturally specific organizations, Federal, State, 
Tribal, and local courts, Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
law enforcement agencies, State and local elected officials, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
and individuals with academic expertise in the study of 
law enforcement. 
(d) FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Direc-
tor shall include in the report required under this section 
recommendations regarding— 
(1) best practices or guidelines for law enforce-
ment agencies to adopt in order to prevent the ex-
cessive use of force by law enforcement officers and 
protect children from the excessive use of force; 
(2) the best practices to train and equip law en-
forcement officers to handle situations involving chil-
dren, including— 
(A) children with physical and mental dis-
abilities; and 
(B) children experiencing mental health 
crises; 
(3) best practices to ensure that children de-
scribed in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph 
(2) receive help from qualified professionals who are 
equipped to deescalate situations and provide the 
proper resources to families; and 
(4) Federal legislation to prevent the excessive 
use of force by law enforcement officers and protect 
children from the excessive use of force. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(e) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘child’’ 
means an individual who is under 18 years of age. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
03:31 Nov 28, 2023
Jkt 049200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H6456.IH
H6456
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB