Donald Trump and Kamala Harris' stances on police

Washington — Crime is simply a focal constituent of erstwhile President Donald Trump's bid for nan White House, and he and Vice President Kamala Harris person some been moving to presume nan mantle of nan tough-on-crime candidate.

Violent crime and spot crime dropped wide past year, and nan diminution successful nan execution complaint from 2022 to 2023 represents nan largest driblet successful nan past 2 decades, according to information from much than 16,000 rule enforcement agencies released by nan FBI successful September. 

But that hasn't stopped Trump from claiming U.S. cities are successful diminution and unit is rampant. Harris, meanwhile, has highlighted her acquisition arsenic a erstwhile charismatic successful California and nan state's lawyer wide arsenic she seeks to show voters that she has acquisition targeting convulsive offenders.

Trump casts himself arsenic nan "law and order" candidate

The Republican statesmanlike nominee many times casts himself arsenic nan "law and order" campaigner and while connected nan run way has called for constabulary officers to beryllium entitled to "immunity from prosecution." 

Trump laid retired his "plan to reconstruct rule and order" successful February 2023, which he said includes a "record finance successful hiring, retention and training" for constabulary officers nationwide and bolstering liability protections for rule enforcement. The erstwhile president said he will information Justice Department grants and national backing connected nan usage of "stop and frisk" and different strategies by section rule enforcement agencies.

He besides pledged to "send successful national assets" for illustration nan National Guard to reconstruct "law and order" successful cities.

Indemnifying police

In caller months, Trump has stepped up his pledges to protect rule enforcement, saying during a tele-rally successful June that his management would indemnify constabulary officers.

A 2014 study connected indemnification practices successful 44 of nan nation's largest rule enforcement agencies and 37 mini and mid-sized agencies recovered that constabulary are almost ever indemnified, that is, not held financially responsible for settlements and judgments successful misconduct cases. The study from UCLA rule professor Joanna Schwartz recovered that betwixt 2006 and 2011, governments paid astir 99.98% of nan money that plaintiffs recovered successful lawsuits accusing constabulary of civilian authorities violations.

During a September reside accepting nan endorsement from nan Fraternal Order of Police, nan largest statement of rule enforcement officers, Trump called for giving backmost "power and respect" to constabulary and has suggested "one unsmooth hour" of a rule enforcement consequence would tamp down connected crime.

"One unsmooth hour, and I mean existent rough, nan connection will get retired and it will extremity immediately," he told a crowd successful Erie, Pennsylvania, past month.

Federal rule enforcement and migrants

Trump has many times floated utilizing national rule enforcement resources to reside migrants crossing nan U.S-Mexico border. During a July 2023 speech, he called for shifting "massive portions of nan existing national rule enforcement apparatus" — parts of nan Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI and Homeland Security Investigations — to attraction connected immigration.

Trump says he'd pardon Jan. 6 defendants

While Trump has painted himself arsenic nan pro-law enforcement candidate, he has said he would pardon defendants who were convicted aliases pleaded blameworthy for their actions during nan Jan. 6, 2021, battle connected nan U.S. Capitol.

The Republican statesmanlike nominee has claimed they were "convicted by a very reliable system" and called Jan. 6 rioters "hostages" and "political prisoners."

Nearly 150 constabulary officers were injured connected Jan. 6, and protesters carried firearms, stun guns, flagpoles, carnivore spray and tomahawk axes.

In April 2023, he besides called connected Republicans successful Congress to portion nan Justice Department and FBI of their backing aft he was charged pinch 34 felony counts of falsifying business records successful New York. The erstwhile president was found blameworthy connected each counts by a assemblage successful May.

Harris focuses connected acquisition arsenic a prosecutor

Harris has played up her experience arsenic a erstwhile prosecutor, highlighting her activity cracking down connected convulsive offenders, supplier traffickers and banks complete their owe foreclosure practices. She has besides sought to tie distinctions betwixt her inheritance successful rule enforcement pinch Trump, who was convicted successful May and faces national charges successful 2 abstracted cases. He has pleaded not guilty.

"I took connected perpetrators of each kinds: predators who abused women; fraudsters who ripped disconnected consumers; cheaters who collapsed nan rules for their ain gain," she said astatine a run arena successful Atlanta successful July. "So, perceive maine erstwhile I opportunity I cognize Donald Trump's type."

While serving arsenic nan territory lawyer successful San Francisco, Harris spearheaded a rule enforcement training programme connected procedural justness and implicit bias, which was designed to fortify spot betwixt rule enforcement and nan communities they serve.

On constabulary misconduct, qualified immunity, defunding nan police

During her clip representing California successful nan Senate, she was a co-sponsor of nan George Floyd Justice successful Policing Act, which aimed to reside constabulary misconduct successful nan aftermath of Floyd's decease successful May 2020. The measurement would restrict nan usage of qualified immunity, a ineligible doctrine that shields rule enforcement officers from liability, prohibition no-knock warrants successful supplier cases and chokeholds, and require national rule enforcement officers to deterioration assemblage cameras, among different changes.

As vice president, Harris has many times called connected Congress to walk nan measure.

Also, while serving alongside President Biden, nan management has enacted nan American Rescue Plan, which included funding for nationalist information and retaining and hiring constabulary officers.

"The only campaigner moving for president who has ever advocated for defunding nan constabulary aliases projected cutting backing for rule enforcement is convicted felon Donald Trump," said James Singer, spokesperson for nan Harris campaign. "Vice President Harris spent years prosecuting criminals and getting justness for victims, and has supported accrued backing to support our communities safe and clasp convicted felons for illustration Trump accountable – which is why America is presently seeing a adjacent 50-year debased successful convulsive crime." 

After Floyd's death, nan vice president called for "reimagining really we do nationalist information successful America" and a conversation astir "redirecting resources" from constabulary to different authorities functions specified arsenic nan nationalist acquisition strategy and societal services.

But 4 years later, during a run extremity successful Las Vegas past month, Harris said that if elected, she would double resources for nan Justice Department to target transnational cartels and return action to extremity fentanyl flowing into nan country.

After Harris was selected arsenic Mr. Biden's moving mate successful October 2020, his run said neither of nan 2 Democrats supported defunding nan police. Sabrina Singh, who was serving arsenic property caput to Harris astatine nan time, said she has backed boosting backing to constabulary departments and for organization policing.