Trump Shuts Down National Police Misconduct Database — That He Helped Create
When the State can hide its own crimes, it will only commit more of them.
In a move that has transparency advocates outraged, the Trump administration has shut down the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD)—a crucial resource designed to track police misconduct and prevent problem officers from quietly moving between agencies.
While many conservatives were right to reject the “woke” policies of the left, which often prioritized letting criminals walk free over actual justice, removing transparency and accountability from those who claim to ‘serve and protect’ is not the answer. If anything, history has shown that when the government is allowed to hide its own crimes, it will only commit more of them.
The Database That Was Meant to Prevent Corruption
The NLEAD was initially proposed by Trump himself in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests against police brutality. However, the database wasn’t actually created until 2022 under a Biden executive order, which sought to centralize and track disciplinary records of federal law enforcement officers. By the end of 2023, all 90 federal agencies with law enforcement personnel had submitted thousands of misconduct records dating back to 2017.
This meant bad cops couldn’t simply jump ship to another agency once they had been caught engaging in misconduct and become “gypsy cops.” The database provided law enforcement departments a way to vet applicants and prevent hiring officers with a history of excessive force, abuse, or other criminal behavior.
That effort, however, has now been erased.
According to the Department of Justice, “User agencies can no longer query or add data to the NLEAD.” A weblink that once hosted the database has been deleted.
Trump’s Justification: Blaming the “Woke” Crowd
The White House justified the move in a statement:
“President Trump believes in an appropriate balance of accountability without compromising law enforcement’s ability to do its job of fighting crime and keeping communities safe. But the Biden executive order creating this database was full of woke, anti-police concepts that make communities less safe like a call for ‘equitable’ policing and addressing ‘systemic racism in our criminal justice system.’ President Trump rescinded the order creating this database on Day 1 because he is committed to giving our brave men and women of law enforcement the tools they need to stop crime.”
Let’s be clear: The problem wasn’t the database—it was the toothless social justice rhetoric surrounding it. Yes, the left’s obsession with making everything about “systemic racism” has led to some disastrous policies, like letting criminals roam free. But scrapping an entire system designed to keep corrupt officers from re-entering law enforcement doesn’t make Americans safer—it does the exact opposite.
Why This Matters: A Green Light for More Police Abuse
Police misconduct is far from being eradicated in the U.S. In fact, just this month, an entire police department in Hanceville, Alabama, was placed on leave after a grand jury found a rampant culture of corruption within the force. The investigation stemmed from the drug overdose death of a police dispatcher inside the department, along with reports of officers mishandling and even destroying evidence.
Meanwhile, cases like Houston police captain Daryn Blake Edwards, who was recently arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a sixth-grade girl up to 100 times and placing hidden cameras in her bedroom, highlight the dire need for accountability mechanisms to stop predatory officers before they can continue their abuse elsewhere.
“Everyone, cops and communities alike, has an interest in keeping officers with histories of serious misconduct from rejoining the profession,” said Thomas Abt, director of the Violence Reduction Center at the University of Maryland. “Nonpartisan public safety reforms like these should be placed above politics and maintained across administrations.”
And he’s right. No matter how much one supports law enforcement, allowing criminal cops to operate with impunity is a recipe for disaster.
The Illusion of “Backing the Blue”
By shutting down this database, Trump has sent a clear message: He is more concerned with political optics than actual justice. His administration believes that removing transparency helps law enforcement do their jobs, when in reality, it does the exact opposite.
For years, police unions have fought tooth and nail to block any attempts at officer accountability. And with this move, they’ve won. Now, any cop caught abusing their power can simply move to another agency with a clean record, as if nothing happened.
So while Trump’s supporters cheer on the destruction of a “woke” database, they fail to see the bigger picture: The State is consolidating its power by ensuring that its enforcers remain unchecked and above the law. And that never ends well for the people.
What Happens Next?
Without a system in place to track corrupt officers, police abuse is only going to get worse. And the cycle will continue—officers fired for brutality or corruption will be quietly rehired elsewhere, and the public will remain unaware until it’s too late.
Americans, especially conservatives, need to recognize that blindly supporting law enforcement without demanding accountability is dangerous. The same government that wants unchecked policing is the same government that will come for your rights when it suits them. And without transparency, there is nothing stopping them.
When the State can hide its own crimes, it will only commit more of them. And that’s exactly what Trump just ensured.
