The U.S. Department of Justice has removed the National Law Enforcement Accountability Database (NLEAD), which tracked misconduct by federal law enforcement officers. Originally proposed by former President Donald Trump in 2020 and formally established under President Joe Biden in 2023, the database contained nearly 4,800 records of misconduct between 2018 and 2023.
The database was deactivated after President Trump rescinded Biden’s executive order upon returning to office in January 2025. While NLEAD has been shut down, the National Decertification Index, which tracks misconduct among state and local officers, remains active.
The decision has raised concerns about federal law enforcement accountability, with critics arguing that the move reduces transparency in misconduct tracking.
