US President Donald Trump signed a police reform decree on Tuesday that he says will deliver “elegant justice” as the nation is disturbed by protests over police murder of black citizens.
Presidential directive provides financial incentives for police across the country to include a ban on strangling holds, additional training on use of force directives and a database of officers found guilty of misconduct.
“We have to break the old failure patterns,” Trump said shortly before signing the order at the Rose Garden in front of uniformed police.
The order prioritizes federal grants to police services that meet the new higher standards, Trump said.
“As part of this new certification process, choking will be prohibited unless the life of an officer is in danger,” he said.
“In addition, we are considering new advanced and powerful, less deadly weapons to help prevent deadly interactions,” he added.
The move is a step toward demands made by Democratic leaders following the May 25 death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was killed when a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
The minority leader, Chuck Schumer, said that if Trump “has finally recognized the need for police reform,” other measures must be taken.
“Congress must quickly pass strong, bold legislation with provisions that facilitate police accountability for abuse, and President Trump must commit to signing it,” Schumer said in a statement.
Trump has said that even if only a “very small” number of officers are involved in wrongdoing, it remains essential to build trust between citizens and the police in distressed areas.
The order states that “especially in African American communities, we must redouble our efforts as a nation to quickly deal with cases of misconduct” on the part of the police.
Shortly before his speech, Trump spoke to relatives of those killed in meetings with the police.
“To all the injured families, I want you to know that all Americans are crying by your side,” said Trump. “Your loved ones will not have died in vain.”
“We must seek cooperation, not confrontation” between the police and the communities, and “strive for justice and freedom that are safe, beautiful and elegant for all.”
Trump also accused the Democrats, including his presidential predecessor Barack Obama, of failing to resolve the problem of police brutality.
