This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-to-release-police-reform-proposals-that-focus-on-training/2020/06/16/f41f0eb6-afdb-11ea-8f56-63f38c990077_story.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_homepage

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 4 Version 5
Trump signs police reform executive order that focuses on training, falls short of protesters’ demands Trump signs order on policing, but Democrats and activists say it falls far short of what is needed
(about 5 hours later)
President Trump on Tuesday addressed the issue of police brutality by taking executive action that would provide incentives for police departments to increase training about the use of force and to strengthen a national database to track misconduct. President Trump announced executive action on policing Tuesday, but his plan was swiftly panned by Democrats and liberal groups as falling far short of the sweeping changes needed to address what they have called a culture of systemic racism and brutality that sparked nationwide protests.
The president’s approach, which he announced at a Rose Garden event Tuesday afternoon, seeks to leverage federal grant money to encourage local departments to take action around a set of national “best practices.” In a Rose Garden ceremony, Trump formally unveiled steps to offer new federal incentives for local police to bolster training and create a national database to track misconduct, vowing that African Americans who have died at the hands of police accused of abuse “will not have died in vain.”
The executive order falls short of the more sweeping policy changes activists have called for following the death of a black man, George Floyd, in police custody in Minneapolis last month. But the event was heavy on symbolism, as the president surrounded himself with uniformed officers and police union officials, a show of solidarity that signaled he was unwilling to risk angering law enforcement communities that he considers a key part of his conservative political base.
“Reducing crime and raising standards are not opposite goals,” Trump said in the Rose Garden. “They are not mutually exclusive. They work together. ... That is why today I’m signing an executive order encouraging police departments nationwide to adopt the highest professional standards to serve their communities. These standards will be as high and as strong as there is on Earth.” Trump said he had met ahead of the ceremony with the families of black people killed by police — including Atatiana Jefferson, Botham Jean, Jemel Roberson and others — but they did not join him for his remarks.
“I can never imagine your pain or the depth of your anguish, but I can promise to fight for justice for all of our people,” Trump said, before pivoting to a defense of law enforcement organizations whose tactics have prompted calls from Black Lives Matter and other activists to “defund the police” by reallocating public money to social programs.
“I strongly oppose radical and dangerous efforts to [defund], dismantle and dissolve our police departments,” Trump declared. “Americans know the truth: Without police, there is chaos; without law, there is anarchy; and without safety, there is catastrophe. We need leaders at every level of government who have the moral clarity to state these obvious facts.”
Beleaguered and besieged, police try to come to grips with a nation’s angerBeleaguered and besieged, police try to come to grips with a nation’s anger
The executive order states that the U.S. attorney general shall allocate discretionary grants “only to those State and local law enforcement agencies that have sought or are in the process of seeking appropriate credentials” from a federally-certified body. The politically charged nature of the event was illustrated by criticism from civil rights leaders, skeptical of Trump’s sincerity on the issue, aimed at the families that met with Trump. In response, S. Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing some of the families, posted a photo on Twitter of himself in the White House with the mother of Jean, a black man who was killed by an off-duty officer who entered his Dallas apartment by mistake in 2018.
It also directs the attorney general to create a national database “concerning instances of excessive use of force related to law enforcement matters, accounting for applicable privacy and due process rights.” “Show me the civil rights leaders who are upset about families making a direct appeal for federal intervention after the murder of their loved one & I’ll show you a clown,” Merritt wrote in his post.
And it calls for the federal government to support efforts to train police officers in handling encounters with those suffering from mental health issues, homelessness and addiction, including the development of “co-responder programs” that would help pair local police with mental health experts. Trump’s remarks came as Congress is wrestling with legislative measures to address the widespread outpouring of anger and frustration amid the protests that have roiled American cities following the police killing of George Floyd, a black man, inMinneapolis last month. House Democrats and Senate Republicans are moving forward with competing proposals, and the two sides appeared to have found little common ground Tuesday, with the president’s executive actions potentially setting a marker for his GOP allies over the limits of what they would accept in a compromise bill.
Trump said that just prior to the announcement, he had met with with family members of several black people who have been killed by police, including Atatiana Jefferson, Jemel Roberson, Michael Dean and others. “Unfortunately, this executive order will not deliver comprehensive meaningful change and accountability in our nation’s police departments that Americans are demanding,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “It’s weak tea.”
“To all of the hurting families, I want you to know that all Americans mourned by your side,” Trump said. “Your loved ones will not have died in vain.” 5 takeaways from the Senate hearing on policing reform
Members of those families were not present for Trump’s Rose Garden announcement, however, according to a guest list released by the White House. Amid criticism of the White House visit, Lee Merritt, a Dallas civil rights lawyer who has represented some of the families, said the relatives had met with Trump in an effort to spur him to take action. White House officials had previewed the executive action a day earlier, and Trump offered few additional details in a 27-minute address that at times took on the tone of a campaign speech. He spent a good portion of his remarks touting his record on the economy, boasting of recent upticks in the stock market, listing what he believes he has done for minority communities and falsely accusing former president Barack Obama and former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, of failing to try to address police brutality.
“Show me the civil rights leaders who are upset about families making a direct appeal for federal intervention after the murder of their loved one & I’ll show you a clown,” Merritt said in a tweet. The president departed the event without taking questions from reporters.
The text of Trump’s order stipulated that Attorney General William P. Barr will be charged with leveraging federal grant funding to encourage local police departments to pursue certifications in newly established “best practices” regarding use-of-force and de-escalation techniques, including the prohibition of chokeholds “except in those situations where the use of deadly force is allowed by law.”
Barr also will be tasked with establishing a database to track officers who are fired or resign over misconduct allegations so they are not hired in other jurisdictions. The executive action also calls for the federal government to support efforts to train police officers in handling encounters with those suffering from mental health issues, homelessness and addiction, including the development of “co-responder programs” that would pair local police with social workers.
Trump emphasized that he is willing to work with Congress on additional measures, but his executive actions were lambasted by Democratic leaders who said the president and his Republican allies were tinkering at a time when dramatic reforms are needed.
House Democrats are moving forward with a legislative package that would strictly ban police chokeholds, make it easier for victims of police violence to sue officers and departments, and create a national database of police misconduct.
The House Judiciary Committee is expected to advance the bill Wednesday, preparing it for a floor vote next week.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), speaking on MSNBC, criticized Trump’s Rose Garden event as “a photo op” and said the executive order “fell sadly and seriously short.” She also faulted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who on Tuesday rejected the House proposal as a nonstarter and called it “typical Democratic overreach.”
“How many more people have to die from police brutality?” Pelosi said. “And so for the leader of the Senate to say, ‘It’s going nowhere, we don’t want any of that,’ is really disgraceful, and it really ignores the concerns of the American people.”
Senate Republicans are preparing their own package, one that may have some overlap with the Democratic proposal but will likely take a far less aggressive approach.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is leading that effort and was among the lawmakers present at the Rose Garden ceremony, has warned that there remained partisan roadblocks on key issues — including the possibility of overturning a federal court precedent barring individuals from suing police in most instances.
“My understanding is the Democrats have been told that they are not allowed to get on this bill,” Scott said Tuesday of the GOP proposal.
Members of armed civilian group arrested, suspected gunman identified after man is shot at Albuquerque protestMembers of armed civilian group arrested, suspected gunman identified after man is shot at Albuquerque protest
Trump’s executive order comes as the prospects for police reform legislation on Capitol Hill remain unsettled. In a signal of skepticism on the left of the Republican effort, the president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights — an influential umbrella group with close ties to Democratic leaders — told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the present crisis “requires more than tinkering.”
House Democrats are moving forward with a sweeping package that would ban police chokeholds, make it easier for victims of police violence to sue officers and departments and create a national database of police misconduct, among other measures. The House Judiciary Committee is expected to advance the bill Wednesday, preparing it for a floor vote next week. “Proposals for data collection, commissions, body cameras — these are insufficient responses to meet the moment that we find ourselves in, and more people will die,” said Vanita Gupta, a former top Justice Department civil rights official in the Obama administration. “Where we have seen these kinds of nibbling-at-the-edges policies implemented, we continue to grapple with police officers killing African Americans with impunity.”
But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that the House legislation “is going nowhere in the Senate,” blasting the measure as “typical Democratic overreach.” Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager, responded to Trump’s false contention that the Obama administration had not tried to address police brutality by citing consent decrees with local police departments and an Obama executive order to limit the flow of military weapons to municipal police.
Republicans in the Senate are assembling a package of their own, one that may have some overlap with the Democratic proposal but will likely take a far less aggressive approach. She said Trump “has spent the past three years tearing down the very reforms” the previous administration had pursued.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is leading the effort for Republicans and was among the lawmakers present at the Rose Garden ceremony, told reporters Monday that there remained partisan roadblocks on key issues -- including the possibility of overturning a federal court precedent barring individuals from suing police in most instances.
“What we need to do is find a path forward,” said Scott, who is the only Republican senator who is African American. “I don’t know that we’ve found that path forward yet. Because without the bill becoming law, whether it’s my bill or some version of some other bill, then we’ve kind of failed the moment.”
At Tuesday’s ceremony, Trump defended the police beyond what he called the “tiny” numbers of bad officers and reiterated his desire for states to use the National Guard to disrupt protests if they turn violent or include looting.
“Americans want law and order; they demand law and order,” he said, rebuffing calls from some activists to defund the police.
The president devoted a large part of his remarks to attacking the record of his predecessor, former president Barack Obama, and former vice president Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic 2020 presidential nominee.
He also touted steps taken by his administration that he said have benefited minority communities, including supporting historically black colleges and universities, creating “opportunity zones” and lowering the unemployment rate before the novel coronavirus pandemic began its sweep across the U.S.
Democrats and civil rights groups responded to the news of Trump’s executive order by arguing that it is too little, too late.
“While the president has finally acknowledged the need for policing reform, one modest executive order will not make up for his years of inflammatory rhetoric and policies designed to roll back the progress made in previous years,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. “Unfortunately, this executive order will not deliver the comprehensive meaningful change and accountability in our nation’s police departments that Americans are demanding.”
Kristina Roth, senior program officer for criminal justice programs at Amnesty International USA, said the order “amounts to a band-aid for a bullet wound.” She noted that in the case of the death of Eric Garner six years ago, the chokehold used by the officer was already prohibited by the New York Police Department.
“Meaningful accountability cannot exclusively be relegated to a police department’s use of force policies or training,” Roth said in a statement “In fact, there are police departments whose policies exceed that of their state’s use of force law, yet officers continue to kill Black people with impunity.”
Scott said Monday the GOP legislation would overlap somewhat with Trump’s executive actions, such as on chokeholds. In both cases, the Republican approach is to enoucrage local departments and jurisdictions to ban chokeholds rather than flatly banning them nationally.
While there have been some bipartisan discussions, according to members and aides familiar with the talks, there is no formal effort to write a bipartisan bill underway. That has raised fears that the effort could end in a “side-by-side” outcome where Republicans and Democrats each present their own packages, with neither having the necessary support to be signed into law.While there have been some bipartisan discussions, according to members and aides familiar with the talks, there is no formal effort to write a bipartisan bill underway. That has raised fears that the effort could end in a “side-by-side” outcome where Republicans and Democrats each present their own packages, with neither having the necessary support to be signed into law.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) said Monday that both sides have laid out matters that they consider non-negotiable -- a bad omen for a possible deal. At the White House, however, Trump defended the police, pointing to a “tiny” number of bad officers, and he reiterated his desire for states to use the National Guard to disrupt protests if they turn violent or include looting.
“If that’s the way we start out, we probably don’t get to a very good conclusion, but maybe as we debate it the non-negotiables get more negotiable,” he said. “Americans want law and order. They demand law and order,” Trump said. “They may not say it, they may not be talking about it, but that’s what they want.”
For many Democrats, overturning the court protection from lawsuits -- known as qualified immunity doctrine -- is among those red lines.
The Supreme Court on Monday decided not to revisit the doctrine, underscoring the necessity of Congress acting now for its opponents.
Three prominent members of the House Judiciary Committee -- Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) -- said in a statement Monday that the court’s punt “makes it all the more important for Congress to act.”
“It is long past time to remove this arbitrary and unlawful barrier and to ensure police are held accountable when they violate the constitutional rights of the people whom they are meant to serve,” they said.
Blunt, a member of the Senate leadership, said it was “hard to imagine” the Senate could vote before the July 4 holiday, meaning it could be a month before any legislation advances to Trump, even in the rosiest scenario.
“We could have a vote between now and the Fourth of July. But I think that would almost certainly indicate some side-by-side vote where nobody expects to win,” he said. “In my view, it would take longer than that to reach a conclusion.”
But Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) indicated that outcome is increasingly likely, saying he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) pushes it to the floor as soon as next week.
“Hopefully it will represent, in the end, something that is going to attract a lot of Democrats and a presidential signature,” he said.
Scott said he spoke to Trump about the legislation on Sunday night, and he warned that any delay into July could sap precious momentum.
“I’m certainly going to push that we get it sooner than later,” he said. “The House is voting next week I think it is. I think us waiting a month before we vote is a bad decision.”
Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.