Trump Signs Police Reform Order

Since the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer, America’s police have been seriously questioned on their methods. There is concern over how easily officers can breach the rights of the public, and many are calling for reform. Congress is talking about passing police reform laws, but President Trump beat them to the punch with a new executive order.

On June 16, President Donald Trump signed the Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities. While many protesters and even politicians have been calling for the government to reduce or stop funding for police departments, Trump has not supported that idea. His executive order gives more funds for training, community outreach, and more cooperation between police officers and social workers.

The Reforms

The order demands changes in training standards for police officers, especially when it comes to the use of force.

The president’s order establishes a system in which law enforcement agencies would be checked by an outside reviewer. The Department of Justice will be allowed to withhold funding from agencies that do not work with these reviewers.

Other measures include greater cooperation between social workers and police officers, who often work with people who have mental health or drug addiction problems. The secretary of Health and Human Services will make recommendations of funding “community-support models addressing mental health, homelessness, and addiction.”

The executive order tells Attorney General William Barr to create a database that would make state and local police departments share information on officers who have complaints against them for excessive use of force, or who have been reported for other on-duty misconduct.

The president has managed to leap-frog members of Congress who are in the process of trying to bring their own police reform legislation into law.