Duckworth Leads Senate Democrats in Renewed Push to Help Prevent Police-Involved Deaths and Provide Justice for Families

September 25, 2026 Duckworth Leads Senate Democrats in Renewed Push to Help Prevent Police-Involved Deaths and Provide Justice for Families [WASHINGTON, D.C.] – On the 29 th birthday of Laquan McDonald, an Illinoisan teen who was shot and killed at the hands of a Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer with a recorded history of excessive force, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) is leading her Senate Democratic colleagues in reintroducing legislation that would help restore trust between law enforcement officials and the communities they serve by helping prevent police-involved deaths and encouraging independent, impartial investigations into law enforcement officials’ use of deadly force. The Police Training and Independent Review Act— the second piece of legislation that Senator Duckworth ever introduced in the Senate—would create financial incentives for states to require training for law enforcement officials on fair and impartial policing and best practices for working with members of the community who are disabled and have mental illnesses. Additionally, it would encourage communities to use independent prosecutors to investigate law enforcement officials’ use of deadly force. When implemented, the legislation would authorize the U.S. Attorney General to award grants to states that require an independent investigation and, if warranted, prosecution in cases where one or more of the alleged offenses result in death or serious bodily harm. Companion legislation will soon be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN-09). “From Chicago to Louisville or anywhere in America, we cannot allow ourselves to accept that Black teenagers, men and women are still being unjustly executed at the hands of law enforcement without judge or jury, ” said Duckworth. “Laquan McDonald’s death was preventable, and Congress still has yet to do enough to ensure tragedies like his never happen again. In honor of Laquan 29 th heavenly birthday, I’m proud to lead Senate Democrats in reintroducing this overdue legislation that would help save lives and restore trust between law enforcement and local communities by increasing resources for training to help prevent such incidents, while promoting objective and independent investigations of police-involved uses of deadly force. Families like Laquan McDonald’s that have experienced heartbreak are no less deserving of justice than any other family. It’s time our country acts to ensure accountability within our law enforcement agencies and provide justice to those who have lost loved ones.” 12 years ago, Laquan MacDonald—who was 17 years old at the time—was shot and killed by a 14-year CPD officer with over 20 citizen complaints, including many for excessive force. CPD office Jason Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times, many after he already was on the ground. Tragically, McDonald's story is all too familiar. Police in the United States kill more than 1,000 people each year, yet fewer than 3 percent of those killings result in an officer being charged with a crime. In much of the country, the officer's own department investigates a police killing while a local prosecutor—who works alongside that department every day—decides whether to bring charges, an inherent conflict of interest this legislation is designed to eliminate. The types of independent investigation and prosecution of law enforcement that would be eligible for financial incentives under the Police Training and Independent Review Act include: The use of an independent agency, civilian review board or outside law enforcement department, such as the State Police, responsible for independently investigating and prosecuting all officer use of force allegations. The appointment of the State Attorney General, or a special prosecutor overseen by the State Attorney General, responsible for conducting the criminal investigation and prosecution. The use of an independent prosecutor, who does not reside or work in the same county as the county where the officer’s use of force was committed. Along with Duckworth, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). The final text of the legislation is available on Senator Duckworth’s website. Print Tweet Next Article Previous Article