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Trump on Police Reform Actions: Needed
(CNN) - US President Donald Trump took his first concrete steps on Tuesday to tackle the growing national protest over police brutality when he signed a decree creating a federal database of police officers with a record of excessive use of force.
Trump said he was taking executive action to encourage police to adopt "higher and stronger" professional standards, even when he criticized efforts to underfund departments and said police were owed respect for their work.
Speaking in the White House rose garden, Trump said he was signing a decree "to offer a future of security for Americans of all races, religions, colors, and creeds."
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And he said he sought to find common ground and fight for a cause that enjoys wide support.
But at the same time, Trump said Americans "demand law and order" and praised the efforts of law enforcement to quell the violence during protests against police brutality earlier this month.
"Without police, there is chaos," Trump said.
While Trump said he was reunited with the families of people who lost loved ones due to police violence previously, they did not accompany him in the garden on Tuesday. Instead, its audience was made up of representatives of the police and police unions.
The President said he met with the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Botham Jean, Antwon Rose, Jemel Roberson, Atatiana Jefferson, Michael Dean, Darius Tarver, Cameron Lamb and Everett Palmer.
“These are amazing people… and it is very sad. Many of these families lost loved ones in deadly interactions with the police. For all the suffering families, I want you to know, all the Americans cry at your side. Your loved ones will not have died in vain, "added the president.
The decree, which also establishes financial incentives for police departments to establish accreditation programs and follow "best practices," is a modest attempt by Trump to confront a national lawsuit on racial inequalities and law enforcement.
After taking a hard-line "law and order" stance amid a national surge of anger after the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white cop knelt on his neck in Minneapolis, advisers encouraged Trump to address the problems of excessive use of police force.
At the same time, he has been cautious in alienating police officers and law enforcement officials, who he says are among his strongest supporters.
Competing interests ultimately led to the decree on Tuesday, which is the result of an effort led by Ja'Ron Smith, deputy adviser to the president, and Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. Smith and Kushner sought police reform proposals from criminal justice reform advocates and law enforcement groups following Floyd's death.
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