Clinton Says Her Budget Will Include $1 Billion to Fund Police Training Programs
Speaking at an African Methodist Episcopal church in Philadelphia Friday evening, Hillary Clinton vowed to strengthen bonds between communities and cops and create national guidelines to do so.
According to CNN, Hillary told the crowd:
I will bring law enforcement and communities together to develop national guidelines on the use of force by police officers. We’ll make it clear when deadly force is warranted, and when it isn’t. And we’ll emphasize proven methods for de-escalating situations before we reach that point.
Clinton delivered her remarks days after the high-profile murders of two black men by police officers. Alton Sterling was shot and killed Monday night in Baton Rouge as two cops held him down, and Philando Castile was shot and killed on Wednesday in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, after reaching for his driver’s license during a traffic stop.
Clinton also spoke about the fatal shootings of five Dallas police officers Thursday night:
When gunfire broke out yesterday, and everyone ran to safety, the police officers ran the other way, into the gunfire. That’s the kind of courage our police and first responders show every single day.
Clinton asked her mostly black audience to acknowledge that “implicit bias” still exists in a country where police force is used against black people at least three times as often as it is against white people.
Clinton told the audience that, if elected president, she would commit $1 billion to fund officer training programs, “support new research,” and make eliminating “excessive [police] violence” a national priority. Clinton said she would also work to reform sentencing laws and push for comprehensive background checks for gun purchases.