Warren, Pressley introduce bill to make it a crime for police officers to deny medical care to people in custody

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) announced Friday they will introduce a bill that would hold law enforcement officers criminally liable for not providing medical care to people in their custody.

The two Massachusetts lawmakers will bring forth the Andrew Kearse Accountability for Denial of Medical Care Act, named after Andrew Kearse. Kearse, a 36-year-old black man, died of a heart attack in the back of a police cruiser in 2017 after begging the officers for help. The officers did not face charges in relation to his death.

“Andrew Kearse died begging for help and the police officer who looked the other way got off scot-free. Our bill will make sure that officers who fail to obtain potentially life-saving care for people in their custody are held accountable,” said Warren. “This legislation is just one step - I will keep working with my colleagues for a complete overhaul of our policing and justice systems.”

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Read the full article on The Hill website here. 

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