HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 3901 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE BOSLEY.
2954H.01I DANA RADEMAN MILLER, Chief Clerk
WHEREAS, people of color in the United States are disproportionately more often 2 the victims of shootings, chokeholds, and other uses of excessive force by law enforcement 3 officers; and 4 5 WHEREAS, police brutality and the use of excessive force by law enforcement 6 officers are among the most serious ongoing human rights and civil liberties violations in the 7 United States; and 8 9 WHEREAS, the use of excessive force during an arrest or investigatory stop 10 constitutes an unreasonable seizure under the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the 11 United States, which guarantees the right of every person in the United States to be free from 12 unreasonable searches and seizures at the hands of law enforcement officers; and 13 14 WHEREAS, the use of excessive force during a period of pretrial detention 15 constitutes the deprivation of due process under the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the 16 Constitution of the United States, which guarantee the right of every person in the United 17 States to be free from arbitrary interference with the liberty of that person at the hands of law 18 enforcement officers; and 19 20 WHEREAS, the use of excessive force during a term of imprisonment constitutes the 21 use of cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution of the 22 United States, which guarantees the right of every person in the United States to be free from 23 cruel and unusual punishment at the hands of law enforcement officers; and 24 25 WHEREAS, the rule of law in the United States and in the state of Missouri is 26 undermined when law enforcement officers engage in conduct inconsistent with the 27 Constitution of the United States; and 28 HR 3901 2
29 WHEREAS, it is a fundamental principle of a democratic society that law 30 enforcement officers should be held to account for their actions; and 31 32 WHEREAS, it is necessary to focus attention upon legislation to address violence 33 committed by law enforcement and to address law enforcement officer accountability: 34 35 NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of 36 Representatives of the One Hundred Second General Assembly, Second Regular Session, 37 hereby urge a commitment to addressing police violence, particularly against people of color, 38 and ensuring that law enforcement officers who engage in misconduct, discrimination, or 39 inappropriate use of force are held accountable for their actions; and 40 41 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of 42 Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for the 43 Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, the President Pro Tempore of the Missouri 44 Senate, and each member of the Missouri General Assembly. ✔