NEW YORK, April 16, 1999–The National Urban League has issued its reaction to Attorney General Janet Reno’s remarks and plans for action issued in a speech she delivered about police brutality at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. yesterday.

"We are heartened by the level of receptivity to our call to action that the Attorney General demonstrated in her speech yesterday," Price said. "Her denouncement of racial profiling, acknowledgement that overzealous policing is a serious issue nationwide and support of the call for the implementation of specific standards and procedures for law enforcement officials in dealings with the public are also particularly encouraging. However, we believe that there is still much work to be done."

In particular, Price said, the National Urban League and other civil rights groups would like to see the Attorney General announce the Administration’s support for the Traffic Stops Statistics Act of 1999 — dubbed "The Conyers Bill" for its major champion, representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-M). This bill would require the Justice Department to conduct a study of racial profiling by acquiring data from law enforcement agencies regarding the characteristics of persons stopped for alleged traffic violations. The bill was re-introduced earlier this week.

"The National Urban League is a strong supporter of the Conyers Bill," Price said. "We firmly believe that no real progress can be achieved in ameliorating police-community relations until specific standards and procedures are put in place. The data gained from a review of information as proposed by the Conyers Bill would help define areas where improvement is most needed."

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Price has played an integral role in ensuring minority voices are heard in the Justice Department and the Clinton Administration in regards to police misconduct. He was a key facilitator of a meeting the Attorney General hosted recently for civil rights groups and members of the Justice Department where the first seeds of a plan for addressing police misconduct were planted. In addition, Price has authored two open letters to President Clinton, asking the Administration to step up to the issues and begin forming concrete plans of action to enact change.

Founded in 1910, the National Urban League remains the premier social service and civil rights organization in America. The League is a non-profit, community-based organization headquartered in New York City, with 114 affiliates in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Visit the League on the World Wide Web at //www.nul.org.