National Police Accountability Project

When President Trump ended federal oversight of police earlier this year, many communities were left without a clear path to accountability. That's where we came in.

Next week is Giving Tuesday. We’re asking you to give to defend democracy. There’s no time to lose. bit.ly/givetoNPAP

William Henry Jamerson spent 24 yrs in prison for a crime he did not commit. Despite requests to release it, authorities denied the existence of DNA evidence. That's where NPAP member Dan Smolen came in. After a 7 year legal battle, Mr. Jamerson is exonerated and free.

ktul.com/news/local/c...

Some Black police officials worry more federal agents will breed community mistrust Missouri's governor recently authorized the state's National Guard to assist ICE with clerical duties. Black police officers fear the trust they've built with communities of color could take years to ...

Hall said the aggressive tactics used by troops and federal agents resembles policing during the Jim Crow era. She said Black communities have been historically over-policed, and described this as a legacy of American slavery.
#BlackskyNews
www.npr.org/2025/11/12/n...

Great article about a case of mine where the MacArthur Justice Center skillfully handled the appeal, and @aclumn.bsky.social, @ij.org, @npapjustice.bsky.social, and @jesspish.bsky.social & Farhang Heydari filed important amicus briefs!

Join us and seasoned civil rights attorneys in Kansas City or virtually as we learn how to effectively litigate jail and prison cases from the investigation through trial.

Register now at bit.ly/October-CLE

REPORT: Officer Accused Of Abusing K-9 Finds New Police Department To Work At A former Salisbury police officer accused of abusing a canine was recently sworn in as a deputy at the Union County Sheriff's Office, according to WSOC-TV 9.

Today is National Dog Day.

In North Carolina, a police officer who resigned after a video went viral of him abusing a K-9 has been rehired by a nearby sheriff's department. @dailycaller.bsky.social

dailycaller.com/2025/08/19/j...

🗣Calling all PUBLIC DEFENDERS! Law enforcement misconduct records are crucial to building and winning cases. This September, learn how to track them using tools you already have with Julie Ciccolini of Techtivist.

📝Sign up at the link in our bio or at bit.ly/PDstrategy1

L.A. touts results of using unarmed civilians instead of cops for some emergencies For the past year, Los Angeles has been testing a program that dispatches specially trained civilians who don’t carry guns in response to certain calls for help from the public. A report released earl...

"'When deployed to non-violent, non-urgent calls for service, unarmed crisis responders have been shown to minimize the potential for escalation and address critical mental health emergencies in a manner that prioritizes compassion and safety,' the report said."

Unfortunately, most settlements include a waiver that does not require any admission of wrongdoing. NPAP Executive Director speaks on the alarming rise in settlements and the backlash against reform since 2020.

“It really does have this potential to contribute to the growing law enforcement surveillance state," said NPAP Executive Director Lauren Bonds.

How will information be collected, stored & shared with federal law enforcement or other agencies? With the rise of federal overreach, we need answers.

As NPAP Executive Director Lauren Bonds shares with the @texasobserver.org, access only to complaints that resulted in discipline provides "a very, very small snapshot of the types of problems people may be having."

ALL misconduct records are a vital matter of public interest and safety.

ICE 'Task Force' Agreements Expand to Galveston, Beaumont As Immigration and Customs Enforcement rolls out necessary training, the Galveston County Sheriff's Office joins a growing list of Texas law enforcement agencies deputizing officers to serve as…

Featured story: Nearly 1.5M Texans now live in jurisdictions where sheriffs or police chiefs have agreed to train some of their officers to act as immigration agents in the streets of their communities. These agreements currently cover around 30 Texas law enforcement agencies.

We already know facial recognition is used for racial profiling. Under the current administration, that comes with threat of deportation.

We stand with our partners in New Orleans in resisting this dangerous ordinance. @boltsmag.org

Driving While Black - The Thurgood Marshall Institute at LDF The U.S. has relied on armed law enforcement to enforce traffic laws but evidence does not support the notion that police traffic enforcement improves public safety.

Essential new listening from our friends at @legaldefensefund.bsky.social on why police traffic enforcement doesn't mean safer roads. Hear from our partners at Decarcerate Memphis who we work with to hold cops accountable following DOJ retreat from consent decrees. tminstituteldf.org/driving-whil...

Trump's DOJ refuses to protect Black people from racist policing, voter suppression & voter discrimination. That's where civil rights orgs like NPAP step in, helping the Black residents of Lexington file lawsuits where the government won't. @ballsandstrikes.org @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social

Calling all law students! School is almost back in session, and we want to help you make the most of your 2L and 3L years so that you can set yourself up to launch your civil rights career.

✏️ Register now at bit.ly/lawstudentCLE1

TikTok · Brennan Center for Justice 72 likes, 2 comments. “The military should not be deployed to police our neighborhoods. Click the link in our bio to read more. ”

The military should not be deployed to police our neighborhoods. bit.ly/4fvKgA4

Florida Highway Patrol is fully empowered to conduct immigration arrests. And they don't use body cameras. We need transparency more than ever, especially in a state at the forefront of this administration's aggressive mass deportation agenda. More via www.tallahassee.com/story/news/l...

Strategies For ICE Agent Misconduct Suits In The 11th Circ. - Law360 UK Attorneys have numerous pathways to pursue misconduct claims against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Eleventh Circuit, and they need not wait for the court to correct its misint...

In recent months, ICE agents have:
🚨Arrested & deported US citizens
🚨Caused car crashes in pursuits
🚨Brandished weapons against the unarmed
🚨Detained elected officials
Now more than ever, we need the courts to clear pathways for accountability @law360.bsky.social www.law360.com/articles/237...

Civil rights groups demand internal Atlanta police records for 2 officers Two civil rights organizations are reportedly calling on the Atlanta Police Department to release internal records they say could reveal a troubling pattern of misconduct by off-duty officers.

How do you assault someone and keep your badge? How do you get drunk, kill someone off-duty, and still carry a gun? That's APD right now, and we just filed a FOIA request to expose it. Comment and share so that more people see how dangerous this is.

www.fox5atlanta.com/news/civil-r...

Michael Brown.

People protesting Michael Brown's murder hold signs calling for justice.. Photo credit: Michael B. Thomas / Getty Images.

#ResistanceRoots

Today in history, 2014: Police officer Darren Wilson shoots and kills Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, in Ferguson, Mo., sparking protests that soon spread across the country. The militarized police response illustrated the chasm between police and communities of color.

Aug. 9, 2014 | White Police Officer Shoots and Kills Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri Learn more about our history of racial injustice.

On this day in 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed Black teenager, was killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. A grand jury refused to indict the officer, who was never held accountable.

This is why we need to continue to watch closely & demand accountability from every branch of government.

We are more at risk of state abuse of power than ever. We stand with our member attorneys & other civil rights law groups in refusing to turn a blind eye.

Since January, Big Law has increasingly avoided joining with NPAP and other activist organizations on cases that hold the administration to account, from immigration to police accountability. But we're not backing down. Give to our fight bit.ly/givetoNPAP.
@propublica.org

Do you have information about Big Law spurning clients who might incur Trump's anger? Get in touch: molly.redden@propublica.org or on Signal at mollyredden.14

13. #BlackAugust is a time of reflection, particularly to those who are political prisoners, the forgotten, the exiled (like Assata), and those who resist as a whole.

Here's my booklist for Black August.

Free All political prisoners ✊🏾

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today is the first day of august, don't forget about Black prisoners during Black August ! send long term Black prisoners funds & letters! destroy all the cages, total liberation! ❤️‍🔥

Black August began in 1979 inside CA prisons as a month of reflection, discipline and political education to honor the lives of Black freedom fighters killed by the state. It was first observed by the Black Guerilla Family and other imprisoned revolutionaries in San Quentin.

Black August began in 1979 inside CA prisons as a month of reflection, discipline and political education to honor the lives of Black freedom fighters killed by the state. It was first observed by the Black Guerilla Family and other imprisoned revolutionaries in San Quentin.

Study, fast, train, fight: The roots of Black August – Liberation School “Black August” is honored every year to commemorate the fallen freedom fighters of the Black Liberation Movement, to call for the release of political prisoners in the United States, to condemn the op...

Read about the origins of Black August here:
www.liberationschool.org/study-fast-t...

Watch this: www.youtube.com/live/GtrsS9w...

During Black August we honor Black freedom fighters & continue their work for our collective liberation.

That includes defending Diversity, Equity & Inclusion to ensure opportunities for all of us.

And it means advancing an affirmative vision for a more just America where everyone can thrive.