President Donald Trump claimed on Tuesday that his predecessor did not
take action on reforming police in America — despite the fact that it was
under Trump that several Obama-era reforms were scrapped.
take action on reforming police in America — despite the fact that it was
under Trump that several Obama-era reforms were scrapped.
"President Obama and Vice President Biden never even tried to fix this during their eight-year period. The reason they didn't try is they had no idea how
to do it," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden, before signing
an executive order that encourages police departments to adopt "high" standards, like banning choke holds unless the life of the officer is at risk and
creating a database of excessive force complaints.
to do it," Trump said in the White House Rose Garden, before signing
an executive order that encourages police departments to adopt "high" standards, like banning choke holds unless the life of the officer is at risk and
creating a database of excessive force complaints.
But Obama, the nation's first black president who confronted and addressed race and racism frequently, did take action to reform police and attempt to reduce bias in law enforcement. The Trump administration is well aware
of that, too: It unraveled those changes.
of that, too: It unraveled those changes.
"He said President Obama did nothing on police reform, but the fact is they made a lot of progress and President Trump rolled it back," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on Tuesday.
In August 2017, Trump reversed an Obama policy that banned the military from selling surplus equipment to the police, a measure that had been put in place amid criticism over the armored vehicles, tear gas and assault rifles utilized
to control protests after the police killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in
Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.
to control protests after the police killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown in
Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.
In addition, in September 2017, the Justice Department said it would stop the Obama-era practice of investigating police departments and issuing public reports about their failings. After Ferguson, for example, the Justice Department had investigated the Ferguson Police Department and found unconstitutional, unlawful, and racist behavior and policing within the department.
Those reports were used to demand change and strike "consent decrees,
" legal agreements between the local police and the Justice Department
mandating reforms and enforceable by a court.
" legal agreements between the local police and the Justice Department
mandating reforms and enforceable by a court.
When he served as Trump's attorney general, Jeff Sessions made it clear
early on that he opposed consent decrees like the one struck in Ferguson and
he ordered a review of DOJ's more than a dozen consent decrees. Sessions
said they "reduced morale" of police.
early on that he opposed consent decrees like the one struck in Ferguson and
he ordered a review of DOJ's more than a dozen consent decrees. Sessions
said they "reduced morale" of police.
The then-attorney general spoke out against one being finalized in early 2017
in Baltimore, saying he feared it would make the city less safe, and Session's Justice Department sought to delay it. (A federal judge declined to go along.) And in In 2018, Sessions gave a speech in Chicago calling a consent decree struck between Illinois' attorney general and Chicago Police Department a "colossal mistake," even though Obama's Justice Department had found widespread use of excessive force aimed at people of color.
in Baltimore, saying he feared it would make the city less safe, and Session's Justice Department sought to delay it. (A federal judge declined to go along.) And in In 2018, Sessions gave a speech in Chicago calling a consent decree struck between Illinois' attorney general and Chicago Police Department a "colossal mistake," even though Obama's Justice Department had found widespread use of excessive force aimed at people of color.
Shortly before the president fired him amid complaints over his handling of the Russia probe, Sessions issued a memo dramatically limiting the Department's practice of using consent decrees. The DOJ, he wrote, "should exercise special caution before entering into a consent decree," for fear of depriving states' of their rights and control over their budgets.
