Trump shuts US database tracking police misconduct by officers like Chauvin who killed George Floyd
World News | The NLEAD, designed to track federal officer misconduct, was decommissioned by the US Justice Department shortly after Trump's second term began.
The National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD) which tracks misconduct by US federal officers, was taken down by the US Justice Department just days into President Donald Trump's second term, suggest reports.
NLEAD, though created by former president Joe Biden's executive order, was actually the brainchild of Trump. The Republican proposed the creation of such a database in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder by Derek Michael Chauvin, an officer of the law, in June 2020.
What happened to the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database?
The decommissioning of the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database was first reported by the Washington Post.
According to the report, the database has been down since Jan 24, 2025 — mere days after Trump entered the White House. The discovery was made by Trevor Hugh Davis, a research scientist at the University of Notre Dame, who tracks disappearing government websites by analysing historical data. He first noticed that NLEAD was missing last week.
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"We have lost countless records of disciplinary actions, terminations, complaints, and settlements related to police misconduct," said Davis, as per the WP report.
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"Officers with serious misconduct histories often move between departments. Despite its limitations, it addressed a real problem — rehiring officers who had been fired or resigned for misconduct … its removal sends a clear message about the new administration's priorities," he alleged.
As per an announcement on a separate Justice Department website, the site is no longer active and "user agencies can no longer query or add data to the NLEAD."
"The US Department of Justice is decommissioning the NLEAD in accordance with federal standards," it adds.
'Wandering officer' phenomenon
As Davis said, officers with a history of misconduct often jump from one department to another. This is known as the "wandering officer" phenomenon and has been widely studied over the years. As per a study from Yale Law School, three per cent of active duty officers in Florida have been fired from another agency in the state.
The deletion of the federal database does not affect the National Decertification Index, a national registry of state and local police officers who have lost their certification or licensing because of misconduct. That database is operated by the International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, which declined to comment on the shutdown of the federal database.
(With inputs from agencies)
