ATLANTA — Georgia Democrats are pushing for laws to increase police accountability following the death of Tyre Nichols.

“We cannot continue to watch our loved ones be abused or killed by law enforcement officers because of the color of their skin,” Ga. Rep. Sandra Scott of Rex said earlier this month. “The time is now to pass common sense accountability legislation. In the wake of Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and so many more, it is time for common sense police accountability, ethical policing and anti-racial profiling legislation.”

Nichols died in January after being beaten by Memphis police officers.

As part of a police accountability package, Scott, alongside Atlanta Rep. Kim Schofield and Rep. Viola Davis of Stone Mountain, introduced a bill that would require law enforcement agencies to provide a body-worn camera to every officer and require such body cameras be turned on during interactions with the public.

HB 1017 also includes standards for how police officers should respond to protests or demonstrations and would remove qualified immunity for officers.

“We will no longer allow the lack of oversight, accountability and transparency to be the norm in law enforcement,” Schofield said. “No one gets a pass when lives continue to be intentionally taken. Georgians deserve better.”

The Ethical Policing Act, or HB 112, would authorize local municipalities to create and operate citizen review boards, which would have the authority to examine complaint and disciplinary records to identify best practices and resolutions, the overall policing culture, initiate independent investigations into any law enforcement officer and publish its findings and recommendations.

The proposal would direct the attorney general to create a form for local agencies to use to record complaints alleging police misconduct and disciplinary actions for such misconduct.

Another proposal, HB 113, would require police departments to provide de-escalation training to law enforcement officers to minimize the need for the use of force. Law enforcement agencies, if the bill is approved, would be required to teach awareness, recognition and crisis intervention strategies for mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as distance, cover and time techniques for approaching and managing critical incidents.

“Georgia citizens, including the Black community, were confronted with high-profile cases that demonstrated a lack of ethics, accountability, transparency and justice with law enforcement,” Davis said. “Many of the high-profile cases have resulted in police officers receiving criminal charges of murder, thus placing a cloud over those in law enforcement that strive to do right and operate lawfully. We must rebuild and restore trust in law enforcement, especially within the Black community.”

Gerald Griggs, attorney and president of the Georgia NAACP, said the proposed bill backs justice and accountability.

“We can’t swear to uphold the law and not hold law enforcement accountable when they operate outside the letter of the law,” he said. “This state has a police accountability problem.”