‘As his executive order shows, President Trump is committed to police reform’ | Opinion

Defunding the police would be an assault on the health and safety of minority communities. In fact, it is an assault on all communities. It is an offense that President Trump is determined to thwart.

Last week, the president signed an executive order that ensures safe policing and supports the safety of minority communities, while providing transparency to police officers who put their lives on the line to keep America secure. The order instructs the U.S. Attorney General to create a database to track terminations or de-certifications of law enforcement officers with criminal convictions and civil judgments for improper use of force.

For example, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin had a history of complaints related to his physically aggressive behavior. Instead of addressing the signs and the pattern of aggression, the department allowed it to systematically escalate, leading to the tragic events of George Floyd’s death. But thanks to the president’s order, in the future, authorities will have access to such information and be able to remove the small number of individuals who are a disgrace to the badge.

It also bans the use of “chokeholds” unless deadly force is clearly warranted, or an officer’s life is in danger. Moreover, it directs the U.S. attorney general to develop plans for police to deal with the mentally ill who may become violent.

Similar programs have begun in law-enforcement departments such as the Miami-Dade Police Department, which have begun interfacing mental health training for all police recruits — as well as civilian employees — coming into contact with the public while on duty. The skills learned by officers not only aid them in the volatile nature of a police scene; they resolve situations by mitigating threats with minimal to no force.

Finally, the president’s order allocates Department of Justice discretionary grant funding to departments that seek credentialing from a reputable body as determined by the U.S. Attorney General.

Minority communities are often most in need of effective policing. As Florida’s first Hispanic lieutenant governor, I know that for a fact. I’ve talked a great deal about the scourge of human trafficking in our country, and particularly in Florida, where Florida ranks No. 3 in human trafficking. A defunded or underfunded, police force, would unequivocally put lives in danger, especially the lives of children and young women.

Before I became lieutenant governor, I spent more than a decade in healthcare. I cannot imagine the state of our communities if a “defunded” police force is unable to answer 911 calls for accidents, thefts, child abuse or other violent crimes. That is not the America that my parents imagined when they fled Fidel Castro’s Cuba in the 1960s. That is not the America they arrived in, flourished in, and where I was blessed to be born.

The United States is always reforming itself, always getting better, always seeking ways to improve. And now we have a president who is willing to speak truth to power, to initiate reforms where they are needed. The majority of Latinos oppose defunding the police, and the majority of Latinos also oppose reducing police department budgets. But you will rarely hear about that.

I support — celebrate, really — the president’s courage by acting quickly in the face of injustice and signing this historic executive order. And every citizen who enjoys sleeping safely at night, knowing that they are protected, should join me.

Jeanette Nuñez is the Lieutenant Governor of Florida, the Co-Chair of Latinos for Trump and was previously Speaker Pro Tempore of the Florida House of Representatives.