Press Releases

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) today applauded the Department of the Interior’s announcement of new law enforcement policies for its officers, including key changes for which Beyer has long advocated.

“The reforms announced by the Department of the Interior today will increase transparency and accountability while improving trust in the communities its officers police,” said Rep. Beyer. “I have long urged the adoption of body cameras for all federal police, advancing legislation with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton to achieve this, and Interior’s decision to adopt them now is very welcome. The updated use-of-force guidelines are particularly salient to my district following the killing of Bijan Ghaisar, and the restriction on no-knock entries is an important policy that should be adopted by police everywhere. I thank Secretary Haaland and her team for prioritizing police reform, and with my colleagues will be following closely as these proposals implemented.”

Beyer represents the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. where the police pursuit and shooting of Bijan Ghaisar took place on the evening of November 17, 2017. He has worked with Ghaisar’s family in the years since to seek answers about the incident from the federal agencies involved, including the Department of the Interior.

Beyer has been a forceful advocate for police reforms for federal officers. Those efforts include coauthoring, with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), legislation requiring all federal officers to adopt body-worn cameras, which was included in the House-passed George Floyd Justice In Policing Act.