Hank Johnson: “I appear here tonight to talk about police and community relations throughout our country. The purpose of this Special…”

“I appear here tonight to talk about police and community relations throughout our country. The purpose of this Special Order is to talk about how the relationship between police and local communities can be repaired. Over the last year, we have witnessed tensions rise between local law enforcement officers and local communities. The events we have witnessed across the country have highlighted the need for mending the strained relationships between police and communities across the country. This week, the Judiciary Committee in the House held a hearing entitled, Policing Strategies for the 21st Century. The purpose of this hearing was to look at how law enforcement is trained and how it is received in our communities across the country. The Senate also held a hearing this week. Their focus was on the use of body cameras. I applaud my colleagues for holding hearings on criminal justice reform this week, but I hope that this is just the beginning and not the end of the hearings that need to be held on so many different and very important and fundamental issues on the topic of criminal justice reform. All of these issues scream out for public attention and for new solutions by this Congress. There are many conversations that need to be had about the best ways to improve policing practices, including ways to curb the use of excessive force, the use of body cameras, and mental health evaluations for law enforcement. The list goes on and on.…”