Corey Jones Act
Bill: H.R.4083 | Sponsor: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. (D-FL)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
Corey Jones Act
This bill establishes a new certification requirement for applicants for grant funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program.
Specifically, an applicant for grant funds under the COPS program must certify that no law enforcement agency receiving such funds allows officers to conduct routine traffic stops while wearing plainclothes or while wearing plainclothes and in an unmarked police vehicle.

To amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to 
 impose certain additional requirements on applicants for COPS grants, 
                        and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Corey Jones Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Corey Jones of Lake Worth, Florida, was shot and killed 
        by a plainclothes law enforcement officer operating an unmarked 
        vehicle on October 18, 2015.
            (2) Mr. Jones was legally and peacefully pulled to the side 
        of the road while he awaited roadside assistance at 
        approximately 3 a.m. in the morning because his car had broken 
        down.
            (3) While Mr. Jones awaited roadside assistance, he was 
        approached by a law enforcement officer driving an unmarked van 
        and dressed in plainclothes.
            (4) Mr. Jones would not have had any reasonable reason to 
        believe that the person in plainclothes driving the unmarked 
        vehicle was a law enforcement officer.
            (5) Any confusion as to the nature of the law enforcement 
        officer's interaction with Mr. Jones could likely have been 
        avoided had a uniformed officer in a marked vehicle been called 
        to the scene.
            (6) Tragic incidents like the death of Mr. Jones can easily 
        be avoided by prohibiting law enforcement officers in 
        plainclothes or law enforcement officers in plainclothes and 
        unmarked vehicles from engaging in routine traffic stops.

SEC. 3. ENSURING THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS 
              DURING ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOPS INVOLVING UNMARKED VEHICLES 
              AND PLAINCLOTHES OFFICERS.

    (a) Certification Required.--Section 1702 of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 3796dd-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (10), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (11), by striking the period and 
                inserting ``; and'' at the end; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(12) certify that no law enforcement agency that will 
        receive grant funds from the applicant allows law enforcement 
        officers to engage in routine traffic stops while in 
        plainclothes or while in plainclothes and in a police vehicle 
        that is unmarked or that otherwise is not clearly identified as 
        a police vehicle.''; and
            (2) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting after ``1 or 
                more of the requirements of subsection (c)'' the 
                following ``(other than paragraph (12)'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting after ``1 or 
                more of the requirements of subsection (c)'' the 
                following ``(other than paragraph (12)''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) No waiver of plainclothes certification.--The 
        Attorney General may not waive the requirement under subsection 
        (c)(12).''.
    (b) Civil Action.--If the Attorney General determines, as a result 
of the reviews required by section 1705 of the Omnibus Crime Control 
and Safe Streets Act of 1968, that a law enforcement officer has 
engaged in conduct that violates a certification under section 
1702(c)(12) of such Act applicable to that law enforcement officer, and 
such conduct has resulted in serious injury or death to any person, 
that person may bring a civil action against that law enforcement 
officer and any grantee under part Q of title I of such Act that is a 
grantee that is a State, unit of local government, Indian tribal 
government, or other entity with direct authority over that law 
enforcement officer.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Attorney General of the United States shall submit to 
Congress a report that includes data relating to the number and nature 
of incidences where a law enforcement officer dressed in plainclothes 
or dressed in plainclothes and operating an unmarked vehicle, engaged 
in a routine traffic stop that resulted in injury or death.
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