House establishes working group on policing strategies

U.S. Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and John Conyers (D-MI) announced the formation of a working group on Wednesday to study police accountability, aggression toward police and public safety concerns.

Goodlatte, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, and Conyers, the committee’s ranking member, said in a joint statement that the nation’s conscience has been “rocked by a series of tragic events” and that they want to see an end to the violence.

“It’s clear that more must be done to end excessive use of force, strengthen police accountability, prevent violent attacks on law enforcement and improve the relationship between police officers and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve,” the legislators said. “These issues are not going to be solved overnight and they won’t be solved by Congress alone. Our goal in creating this working group is to discuss these issues candidly with each another so that we can begin to find common ground on these matters of national importance.” 

U.S. Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX), Dave Reichert (R-WA) and Susan Brooks (R-IN) were among those appointed to serve on the working group.

“Whether your skin is black or your uniform is blue, individuals should not feel targeted in this country,” Hurd said. “It’s time for our communities to unify and break down the barriers that cause distrust and lead to violence. We are all Americans and we have to stop seeing people who don’t agree with us as enemies.”

The working group must bring law enforcement, religious and civil rights activists together and encourage “open, honest and frank dialogue” to start rebuilding relationships, Hurd added.

Reichert, a former sheriff, said that wounds are deep and rifts are wide in many neighborhoods across America.

“It will take time and hard work to regain the trust and civility that has been lost,” Reichert said. “It must begin and end by recognizing that we are all on the same team. I believe that by working with my colleagues on this working group and challenging ourselves to focus on our aligned goal of keeping our communities safe, crime in our cities will decline and lives of young men and women will be saved.”