Political Quotes

“I want to thank the Chair and our ranking member for your leadership on this subcommittee for your interest and support on this amendment. I recognize the point of order and plan to withdraw the amendment. Recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island, Baltimore, and around the country really illustrate the need for significant reform in police interaction in communities that they are sworn to serve and protect. That is why this amendment would require the States receiving funding from the Department of Justice's Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Program put academy students and law enforcement officers through sensitivity training on ethnic and racial bias, cultural diversity, and police interaction with the disabled, mentally ill, and new immigrants. As you know, DOJ's Byrne JAG Grant Program is the primary provider of Federal criminal justice funding to State and local jurisdictions supporting a wide range of law enforcement and court activities. Our law enforcement agencies and officers play a critical role in protecting the safety of our communities. We need them to work cooperatively and competently along with our community members if we want to protect the public safety and the integrity of our neighborhoods. This is a major issue in many congressional districts where many officers live outside of the communities they serve and do not have the training to deal with a diverse constituency.…”