H.R. 7119 — DHS Use of Force Oversight Act

This section establishes a Department of Homeland Security (DHS)-wide use of force policy for law enforcement officers and agents, requiring them to (1) use only objectively reasonable force based on the totality of circumstances; (2) when feasible, identify themselves and issue verbal warnings prior to using force; (3) employ tactics that control incidents while promoting officer and public safety and minimizing injury or property damage; and (4) prohibit chokeholds and carotid restraints against non-compliant persons resisting arrest. The policy must prioritize deescalation; mandate initial and recurrent training on use of force tactics including deescalation; and require each DHS component to designate a use-of-force expert for compliance and maintain a review council to analyze incidents, inform training, and identify trends. The Secretary must require consistent data collection on use of force; publish semi-annual public reports on incidents involving injury or death to officers or persons, deadly force, less-than-lethal devices or canines, kinetic impacts, or disabling fire against vessels or aircraft—including disaggregated data by component, region, circumstances, and outcomes; publish summaries of completed review analyses; and, within 24 hours of any incident resulting in hospitalization or death, brief the House and Senate Homeland Security committees and inform the public (with privacy protections). The DHS Office of Inspector General must conduct ongoing reviews of compliance with the policy and training requirements. This section also makes a clerical amendment to the Homeland Security Act table of contents.