In Executive Order, Trump Expected To Lean Heavily On Police-Friendly Reforms
President Donald Trump's order will include policies like creating a national database for officer misconduct and deploying mental health professionals alongside police. The changes are a far cry from what reform activists are pushing for, but maintaining political support from the police is front of mind for the president, experts say. Meanwhile, Republicans in the Senate are crafting their own response to the protests.
Politico:
Trump’s Answer To Nationwide Protests: Police-Friendly Reforms
President Donald Trump hopes to acknowledge a nationwide uproar over police brutality while preventing rifts with police and other law enforcement groups integral to his political future. With an executive order set to be unveiled at a White House event on Tuesday, the president is expected to lay out the case for the creation of a national database of police misconduct, so officers with a history of overly aggressive behavior cannot simply move to another department or state to escape scrutiny, according to a senior administration official. The order will also urge social workers and mental health professionals to work more closely alongside frontline officers. Finally, it will offer guidelines for new training and credentialing for police officers on de-escalating tense situations, and the best times to use force, according to the senior administration official, who said the goal of the order was not to demonize police officers. (Cook, 6/15)
NPR:
Trump To Sign Executive Order On Police Reform After George Floyd Killing
The president on Monday gave scant detail of the new executive order. But as he has done consistently in the weeks since Floyd's killing, Trump gave an indication of his priorities for reform, forcefully defending law enforcement officers and sharply criticizing protesters against police brutality. "We need great people in our police departments. And we have mostly great people, I would say that. I would say that with certainty. We have mostly great people. ... But we will do better, even better." (Wise, 6/15)
The Washington Post:
Trump To Unveil Police Reform Proposals That Fall Short Of What Activists Have Demanded
Trump’s order, the product of collaboration with law enforcement groups and families of suspects killed by police, aims to address the mass protests over police brutality that have convulsed American cities. Yet even as the president described his measures as “pretty comprehensive,” they are expected to fall far short of the kind of sweeping reforms that activists from Black Lives Matter and other social justice groups have demanded — such as significantly reducing funding for police departments and directing the money to social programs. (Nakamura, 6/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump To Sign Executive Order On Policing
“We’re going to be talking about things that we’ve been watching and seeing for the last month, and we’re going to have some solutions, I think some good solutions,” Mr. Trump told reporters Monday afternoon.“ The overall goal is we want law and order,” he said. “But it’s about justice also. And it’s about safety.” He added that there are “mostly great people” in law enforcement, saying, “we will do better.” White House officials said the order was crafted in consultation with law enforcement and the families of victims killed by police. (Leary, 6/15)
USA Today:
Donald Trump To Sign Order To Encourage Police To Limit Deadly Force
Trump and his staff developed the executive order amid protests in cities nationwide in response to a series of police killings, particularly last month's death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The White House was itself the scene of protests in the week following Floyd's death. The order comes down as Trump, down in pre-election polls to Democratic challenger Joe Biden, faces criticism over his handling of nationwide protests over Floyd's death. (Jackson, 6/15)
The Associated Press:
Senate GOP To Restrict Police Chokeholds In Emerging Bill
Driven by a swift-moving national debate, Senate Republicans are on the brink of introducing an extensive package of policing changes with new restrictions on police chokeholds and other practices as Congress rushes to respond to mass demonstrations over the deaths of George Floyd and other black Americans. (Mascaro, 6/16)
Politico:
Senate Unlikely To Take Up Police Reform Bill Until After July 4 Recess
The Senate is unlikely to take up a police reform bill until after the Independence Day recess, Republican leaders said on Monday, raising the prospect that it could be a month or longer before a measure heads to President Donald Trump’s desk. A group of GOP senators, led by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), is expected to file legislation this week that would address policing practices in the aftermath of the May 25 killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American, at the hands of law enforcement. But according to GOP leaders, any floor votes would likely have to wait until at least the week of July 20, after senators return from a two-week recess. (Desiderio and Everett, 6/15)
