AMA urges lawmakers to act on policing reform to protect public health

CHICAGO — As the nation reels in the wake of recent highly publicized deaths of Black Americans during police encounters, the American Medical Association (AMA) released a letter to House and Senate leaders urging necessary policing reforms to address the excessive use of law enforcement violence against individuals in minoritized communities.

Recognizing the detrimental public health consequences of violent police interactions, the AMA last month bolstered its commitment to denouncing racism as an urgent threat to public health, pledging action to confront systemic racism, racial injustice and police brutality. In addition, AMA policy insists on accountability for potentially violent law enforcement activity, which includes cautioning against excessive use of tasers, supporting increased use of body-worn cameras and opposing the use of choke holds. As the AMA commits to actively working on dismantling racist/discriminatory policies and practices across all of health care, it calls on political leaders to make systemic changes in our nation’s criminal justice system.