“During this press conference we said the governor should handle law enforcement the same way he claims to have tackled the COVID-19 pandemic, basing decisions on evidence and data. This couldn’t be any more true, because as violence has risen in our state to levels, we haven’t seen in decades, the governor and his Majority allies have sought to do all they can to make it harder for law enforcement to protect our communities. While some reforms are necessary and valid, making effective and impactful law enforcement policy requires input from the officers who will be carrying out and abiding by these laws. We all want our communities to be safer, so as we discuss reforming our police practices, we cannot let ourselves be blind to the suffering of innocent people in vulnerable communities. Making law enforcement policy that works for everybody requires a dialogue, we need to listen to our law-enforcement professionals about how to reduce this violence while also improving relations with underprivileged communities and not just protesters who want to abolish all law enforcement.”