Don’t allow police reform to slip out of our hands

Over the last few months, Americans across the country and across the political spectrum have rightly demanded reforms to policing. In order for this to be achieved, we need a coolheaded, constructive approach. Vandalism, violence and physical confrontations only detract from the serious and important work to turn legitimate outrage into tangible solutions.

In one sadly ironic incident over the past week, protesters surrounded Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, last Thursday and, amid shoving, repeatedly screamed at him to “say her name,” referring to Breonna Taylor.

Taylor, a 26-year-old African American emergency medical technician, was shot and killed on March 13 by plainclothes police officers executing a no-knock raid.

The killing of Breonna Taylor is absolutely a tragic and disgraceful incident that shines a light on the practice of no-knock raids.

But the irony of protesters screaming at Sen. Paul to “say her name” is that Sen. Paul actually has done more than just saying her name.

In June, Sen. Paul introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act, which would federally ban the practice of no-knock raids.

The proposal is sponsored by two Republicans, Sens. Mike Braun of Indiana and Steve Daines of Montana.

Unfortunately, like other substantive justice reform proposals in Congress, the proposal has gained little traction.

Also in June, Reps. Justin Amash, L-Michigan, and Ayanna

Pressley, D-Massachusetts introduced The Ending Qualified Immunity Act to abolish the United States Supreme Court-created legal doctrine that serves to shield abusive police officers from being held liable for violating the constitutional rights of Americans.

That bill, which is now tripartisan with the sponsorship of California Republican Rep. Tom McClintock, has similarly stalled.

It’s a sorry reflection on the current state of our nation’s ability to solve problems that as these tangible solutions fall by the wayside, increasing attention is being placed on violent and counterproductive incidents in cities such as Portland.

At issue are profoundly important matters of how law enforcement officers, who are entrusted with life-or-death decisions, do their jobs and handle challenging situations.

In any nation, incidents like the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, or the shooting of Jacob Blake several times in the back, are unacceptable.

But it’s even more shameful in a nation as wealthy and ostensibly advanced as ours, a nation predicated on respect for individual rights above all else.

We remain hopeful that opportunities for ongoing reform, better training of police officers and curtailing of police abuses ultimately prevail. But it’s imperative that the focus returns to and remains as much as possible on tangible solutions that are within our reach.

— Los Angeles Daily News,

MediaNews Group