"Political campaign": what measures Biden proposes to change police work

US President Joe Biden said it is "very difficult" to be a police officer in the United States, and therefore he wants to make sure that law enforcement officers have all the tools to be the protectors that American society needs.

“It is very difficult to be a police officer in America these days.

So I want to make sure you have what it takes to be the partners and advocates your communities need.

So that when you see what your communities need and what is required of you, (lack of resources.

) ... There will be more resources, not less, for your work, "said the head of the White House. turning to law enforcement officers.

He also suggested investing in targeted community policing, which he said is already "yielding results."

“(Invest in

training that you and the communities have asked for, community-based programs and timely measures that can prevent violence before it happens.

We will provide specific guidelines explaining that communities can and should use the $ 350 billion in America's Salvation Plan funds to help cities, states, counties, tribes hire and pay police officers.

Many cities, from Albuquerque to St. Paul, do just that, ”Biden said.

He clarified that in his draft budget he proposed allocating an additional $ 300 million to support targeted work of police officers with the population throughout the country.

“It's difficult (to work

) when you don't know who you are protecting.

And the best way to get to know these people involves more police, ”the president said.

According to him, in order to confront the "epidemic of violence with the use of firearms", it is necessary to act together.

• American police officer

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• © Chris Carlson

“I believe with all my heart that if we supply you with everything you need, you will be able to do absolutely everything.

We are able to rally this country to fight our common enemies: anger, hostility, hatred, extremism, racism, lawlessness, violence, disease, unemployment and hopelessness, ”he stressed.

Experts believe that Biden's statements about the importance of community policing and "community-based programs", as well as the desire to support these areas, are still more "like a PR campaign."

“Thus, the American leader wants to divert the attention of the population from his own mistakes in foreign and domestic policy.

In any case, this does not resemble real measures.

Biden only notes the possibility of allocating funds for these initiatives, but he cannot do anything more concrete, "Yuri Rogulyov, director of the Franklin Roosevelt Foundation for the Study of the United States at Moscow State University, explained in an interview with RT.

• USA congress

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• © Jose Luis Magana

He also considers the amount of $ 300 million that Biden intends to allocate, insufficient for these purposes on a national scale.

“For one state, that kind of money may be enough.

But what to do then for the rest is a big question, ”the expert says.

"Keep afloat"

It is worth noting that Biden's theses on community policing and “community programs” emerged after the president's request to Congress to pass the George Floyd Law Enforcement Reform Act was never implemented.

Earlier, the head of the White House called May 25 the deadline for approving such innovations.

“The legislative act is designed to combat systematic misconduct by police officers, to restore trust between the forces of law and order and the people whom they are entrusted to serve and whom they are entrusted to protect.

But it doesn't take a year to complete this work, ”Biden said in April.

However, despite the fact that the document was approved by the House of Representatives back in March, the Senate has not yet reached a compromise on this issue.

If this law does come into force, then the police will be obliged to abandon harsh strangulation techniques during arrest, as well as create a register of cases of abuse of power by law enforcement officers.

We will remind, the Democrats took the initiative to pass a law on police reform after the tragic incident that occurred in May last year.

Then the African American George Floyd died as a result of a forceful reception, which a police officer used against him.

The incident caused a wide public outcry: the United States was overwhelmed with mass protests, which subsided only after the law enforcement officer was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison.

In order, among other things, to distract the attention of society from the uncertain situation with the George Floyd law, Biden spoke about Community policing and other programs, Yuri Rogulyov believes.

“This initiative has not yet passed with Floyd's law, so the head of the White House decided to focus on other ideas.

But these are all superficial measures to divert the eyes.

However, Biden needs to imitate the tumultuous activity in the field of police reform, so that he is not accused of inefficiency, "- says the political scientist.

However, he also doubts the effectiveness of the George Floyd law, which is still being discussed by the senators.

“The federal centers do not have the authority to carry out general police reform.

They can propose some standards related to the activities of the police, but whether the states will accept it or not is another question, ”the expert explained.

• Protests after the death of George Floyd

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• © Eric Miller

In turn, political analyst Alexander Asafov noted in the RT commentary that if George Floyd's law is still adopted, this will lead to the collapse of US law enforcement agencies.

"This will immediately have a negative impact on street and other crime, given the development of a large-scale migration crisis in the United States, which the American government prefers to keep silent about," the analyst said.

As Yuri Rogulev emphasized, Biden is now in a difficult situation: dissatisfaction with his activities is growing, ratings are falling.

“Plus, his call for Congress to pass the George Floyd Act was ignored.

And in this situation, the head of the White House needs some steps and PR actions that could divert public attention from what is happening.

This is exactly what his statements of support for Community policing and initiatives in this regard are aimed at.

This is a kind of political campaign aimed at somehow staying afloat, ”the expert concluded.