Lobbying Group Seeks Police Reforms Beyond Trump Executive Order

(Bloomberg) -- A lobbying group representing more than 2,000 U.S. cities is pushing for the federal government to help hasten police reform.

The National League of Cities passed a resolution Thursday asking the U.S. Department of Justice to modernize its use of force guidelines to help address structural and institutional racism in policing. It also asks Congress to pass reforms that would provide both assistance and funding to governments as they look to overhaul their police departments after a string of highly publicized police killings of Black Americans.

“While we appreciate the speed at which Congress and the Administration are moving to reform our nation’s law enforcement, federal actions taken thus far -- including the president’s executive order signed this week -- only scratch the surface of the critical reforms that our communities are desperately calling for,” Clarence Anthony, executive director of the NLC, said in a statement.

The lobbying group will also take steps to create guidelines for its own members, according to the resolution. Some municipalities have already moved to update police tactics. Chicago is reviewing its police department’s use of force protocol, and New York City is disbanding its department’s anti-crime team, which had been accused of fueling mistrust of the police.

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