Amid ongoing mass protests, congressmen introduced the United States Police Reform Bill. This was during a press conference, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

According to her, the document implies an increase in responsibility for police abuse, as well as increased control over law enforcement agencies.

In particular, as Pelosi explained, structural changes await the police.

Law enforcement officers will be required to have working cameras in their cars and uniforms, they will be forbidden to use asphyxiation techniques and to conduct searches without warning in cases involving drugs.

The bill also stipulates that the killing of detainees and detainees by police, including due to race, in unclear circumstances, will be added to the list of federal hate crimes as a separate line. As the speaker of the House of Representatives emphasized, the law is designed to combat the brutality of law enforcement officers.

Earlier, the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, announced that the authorities will reduce funding for the city’s police. This was reported by The New York Times. The mayor is planning to spend the vacated budget funds to support the social sphere. He plans to coordinate specific decisions with the city council before July 1.

“We intend to redistribute funding in favor of youth and social services, which will happen literally over the next three weeks. But I will not go into details, since the issue is still being discussed and we want to figure out what measures will be appropriate, ”de Blasio said at a press conference.

Every year, the New York Police Department receives about $ 6 billion with a total budget of about $ 90 billion. De Blasio did not specify how much cuts in funding for law enforcement agencies would be. Earlier, some members of the city council advocated the redistribution of $ 1 billion from the police budget. It is noteworthy that as early as June 5, the mayor was skeptical of the idea of ​​cutting funding for law enforcement agencies.

“Took advantage of the situation”

In early June, the intention to reduce police allocations by up to $ 150 million was announced by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. This money will also go towards solving social problems, including the content of education and health programs for black people. Now the annual budget of the city’s law enforcement structures is $ 1.86 billion.

U.S. President Donald Trump is categorically against any attempt to cut police funding. The head of the White House believes that in the current situation, on the contrary, it makes sense to increase the allocation for the activities of law enforcement officers. According to Trump, calling for cuts in police spending, Democrats endanger citizens.

"Left-wing Democrats have launched a new barrel organ on the theme of" Cut police funding. " Keep this in mind when you need protection from crime, especially you and your loved ones. This is what the socialists are pulling in Sleepy Joe (we are talking about Joe Biden. - RT ). I take the opposite position: more money to law enforcement, ”Trump wrote on June 4 on his Twitter page.

True, a few days later the White House announced that the president was still considering a number of proposals to combat police brutality. Trump spokeswoman Kaley Makinani added that the American leader is outraged by the initiative to deprive the police of funding.

According to experts, the issue of monetary support for law enforcement agencies has turned into the US in the subject of political speculation. Trying to oppose Trump, the Democrats come up with the ideas of retaliation for police arbitrariness that are now popular in society. However, a decrease in budget expenditures is unlikely to lead to an improvement in the situation with rigidity in the ranks of law enforcement officers.

“This is a purely political action aimed at somehow reducing tension in society. This is an unconstructive attempt to please disgruntled citizens who believe that the police must be punished, ”said a member of the Foreign and Defense Policy Council, Major General of the FSB in reserve, Alexander Mikhailov, in an interview with RT.

According to the expert, the mayors of American cities are unhappy that law enforcement officers could not curb the unrest, as a result of which the protests took on an uncontrollable character. Under this pretext, they believe that existing institutions of law and order are not able to fulfill their tasks.

  • Police outfit in Boston during mass protests
  • Reuters
  • © Brian Snyder

In a conversation with RT, Vladimir Vasiliev, the chief researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that state authorities are largely forced to cut police spending by redistributing funds for social programs. This decision is mainly due to the economic crisis in connection with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Mayors of American cities are crafty. For them, it is now more important to direct money to maintain employment, in particular African-Americans. These issues are very relevant today, especially for New York and California. The mayors took advantage of the protest situation and decided to redistribute the funds, ”Vasiliev explained.

“On the wave of protests”

Large-scale protests and riots have not subsided in the United States since late May. Unrest began after the death on May 25 in Minneapolis of 46-year-old African American George Floyd. The man was the victim of harsh detention by local police.

The frames widely spread on the Internet show that the dark-skinned man was pressed hard on his neck. Floyd complained that he could not breathe, but law enforcement officers ignored his calls. All police officers who participated in the arrest were charged.

Three law enforcement officers are suspected by the Minnesota prosecutor's office of complicity and incitement to murder, and Derek Chauvin, who pressed Floyd's neck with his knee, is charged with second-degree murder (intentional murder without prior intent), the maximum punishment for which is 40 years in prison.

However, in the United States, demonstrations, clashes with law enforcement agencies and pogroms do not stop. In some cities of the country, an emergency regime and curfew were introduced.

During the suppression of unrest, the police detained more than 10 thousand people. According to American media, 11 people from different regions of the country could become victims of the riots. But the US authorities did not comment on these figures and have not yet announced the data on the dead.

Also, mass rallies with anti-racist slogans and calls for measures to protect African Americans swept Europe. Protests swept through France, Germany, Spain, Britain, Belgium, and were often accompanied by clashes with the police.

  • Police clashes with protesters
  • Reuters
  • © Eduardo Munoz

So, on June 6, tens of thousands of people took to the central streets of London. Demonstrations and fights with law enforcement officers unfolded near the US Embassy, ​​the Houses of Parliament and the office of the British Prime Minister on Downing Street. In riots, 14 police officers were injured.

Protesters in Western countries demand the eradication of racism in the law enforcement system and the adoption of measures to eliminate the problem of police brutality. The most radical calls come from the United States.

For example, protesters in Minneapolis, where Floyd was killed, demanded the abolition of the local police department.

Some members of the city council have already supported the protesters' proposal, advocating the creation of an alternative model for ensuring public safety. However, to date, local authorities have not announced specific initiatives to replace the police department.

For the reform of the law enforcement system in the United States advocates a candidate from the Democratic Party in the upcoming presidential election, Joe Biden. However, experts say that among democrats and other representatives of the political elite of the United States there is no adequate idea of ​​how to rebuild the rule of law.

“In the wake of protests, Democrats constantly talk about the need for reform, without specifying its content. It is important to emphasize that truly major changes will take a long time. In addition, the police and the National Guard are subordinate to state authorities. Yes, the federal government has levers of influence (for example, through the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Internal Security), but some comprehensive reform will be problematic, ”stated Vladimir Vasiliev.

According to the expert, in order to provide more reliable control over the police structures in the USA, it makes sense to weaken the powers of the states. The federal government should play the leading role in the law enforcement system, Vasiliev believes. However, governors and mayors will not agree with the restriction of their powers and will blackmail the central authorities.

Alexander Mikhailov believes that the discussion about the restructuring of the US police in is excessively politicized. According to the expert, no reform will be able to exclude the abuse of the right of violence by US police.

“American society has literally detonated after the death of Floyd and often comes up with impossible requirements, up to the abolition of the police. And the US elite only fuels radicalism instead of soberly approaching this situation. In reality, there is no miraculous recipe that will save society from abusing law enforcement officers with their powers, ”Mikhailov concluded.