Long-awaited action on police reform unfolds in Congress: a package of bills that Democrats say is the answer to rising crime, but Republicans say the timing is telling. We spoke with Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher about the Democrats’ efforts to fund the police and what he is hearing from the American people in his state…

Two years ago, the death of George Floyd ignited a nationwide call to defund the police. Under public pressure, many cities cut police budgets. Now, as crime rises and concerns about safety grow in an election year, city and state lawmakers are tapping federal pandemic relief funds to retain and hire more police officers. President…

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday that the administration has invited experts from the United Nations (U.N.) who investigate racism and minority issues to conduct an official visit to the United States. “As a first step, we have reached out to offer an official visit by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms…

A trio of bipartisan lawmakers leading negotiations on a comprehensive police reform package have reached a preliminary bipartisan agreement on the issue, they announced on June 24, bringing them one stop closer to passing the major bill. Three of the five negotiators; lawmakers Sens. Tim Scott, (R-S.C.), and Cory Booker, (D-N.J.) and Rep. Karen Bass,…

Commentary Bill Bratton has been the police commissioner of three major cities: Boston, Los Angeles, and New York. When asked recently about the value of cops, Bratton, 73, said: “They are the glue that literally holds society together. They are an essential element of a successful democracy.” I agree. But we have come to a…

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday signed into law a dozen bills he says will boost law enforcement accountability and address “systemic racism” in the state, calling it a “moral mandate.” “These bills are all going to work in coordination with one another to create a system of accountability and integrity stronger than anywhere else…

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) on Sunday said that he’s now hopeful on negotiating police reform with colleagues on the other side of the aisle as Democrats have since last year shifted their focus from looking for an “issue” to finding a “solution” to the problem. Nearly a year after the Republican senator first unveiled his…

Commentary It is indeed rare, if not unprecedented, to see a highly diverse group of organizations such as the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, the liberal American Civil Liberties Union, the libertarian Cato Institute, and the Reason Foundation on the same page as the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund on the same issue. But it…

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday signed a sweeping criminal justice and police reform bill that includes completely ending cash bail in the state, with proponents arguing cash bail unfairly impacts poor defendants, while opponents say it skews the scales of justice in favor of criminals and makes communities less safe. Under the new law,…

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a sweeping criminal justice and police reform measure into law on Feb. 22 that includes making the state the first in the nation to completely abolish cash bail. Pritzker, a Democrat, said in a statement after signing the bill that “this legislation marks a substantial step toward dismantling the systemic racism…