Trump executive order 'to unleash high-impact police forces'

WASHINGTON, D.C. - An executive order signed by President Trump will, he says, bring more law and order to America's streets while critics fear it could hold police less accountable.




The order titled, "Strengthening and Unleashing America's Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens" provides for more protections of police officers while limiting oversight of local agencies.




"The result will be a law-abiding society in which tenacious law enforcement officers protect the innocent, violations of the law are not tolerated, and American communities are safety enjoyed by all their citizens again," the order reads.




"The bigger question to me is, why?" asked Greg Meriweather, former IMPD strategic initiative liaison. "I'm thinking that I'm fixing something else but creating the same thing that I thought I fixed."

Highlights of the order include: providing more legal resources, even private-sector pro bono assistance, for officers accused of wrongdoing on the job; providing best practices "to aggressively police communities against all crimes;" expanding training and increasing pay and benefits for police; adding prison capacity; enhancing crime data sharing and "review all Federal consent decrees, out-of-court settlements and post-judgement orders" that come about as the result of efforts to clean up troubled police departments.




"I just don't want this to turn into something where people are being targeted, martial law, stop-and-frisk, all those things that we fought so hard to go against. They look like they could be open to us now," said Meriweather who finds Indiana is likely more enlightened than many states when it comes to community-police relations. "IMPD, or any police department, needs to be the example because they could bring trauma to a community just like anybody else who does any other crime. I think it is important for our president or anybody to realize that you have to make them accountable, they have to be the example we have to look at to protect and serve."




In the wake of nationwide protests calling for police accountability in 2020, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and IMPD opened up oversight and regulatory boards to more civilian participation and majorities.




"What's going to happen to the Merit Board, the Use of Force Board, all these things that investigate these things that look and see if they're wrong?" asked Meriweather. "I think a lot of people are impacted by this, but the biggest impact is going to be the people in the community."








Sources indicate the challenge to additional civilian participation in police oversight boards is the lack of quorums to get work done.




Rev. David Greene of the Concerned Clergy has monitored and advised IMPD for several years.




"I see it as problematic and certainly not helpful to the safety of urban communities," Greene said. "It's disappointing and it's gonna set back relationships between the community and law enforcement advances that have been made in the last five to ten years. He's unraveling all of that. He's making it far more difficult, which in turn is not gonna make it safe for the community because we want them to say something when they see something and they're less likely to do that with him rolling this stuff back... you can't hold people accountable."




The Trump directive also calls for the federal prosecution of any local or state official deemed to have illegally interfered with law enforcement "under the guise of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives," or otherwise interfere, such as thwarting the efforts of federal agents to arrest illegal immigrants or non-citizens charged with crimes.




In a stark break with American military tradition and laws, the president is directing that the Attorney General and Secretary of Defense determine how to deploy armed forces assets to assist local law enforcement authorities.




Greene said that while the overwhelming majority of Indiana police officers are law-abiding, the new era signaled by the Trump executive order could result in more police law-breaking.




"You're gonna see more problems. You're gonna see more rogue activity because they have freedom now that they didn't have before," he said. "We're set up for it to roll back. The only question is, when does it roll back? Because somebody could easily say, 'Hey, I just want to be in line with the president,' similar to DEI."





via: https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/trump-executive-order-to-unleash-high-impact-police-forces/