Blunt introduces resolution calling for justice for George Floyd, opposing efforts to defund police

Missouri U.S. Senator Roy Blunt joined Arkansas U.S. Senator Tom Cotton in introducing a resolution calling for justice for George Floyd and opposing recent calls to defund the police. Read the full press release below:

Blunt has also asked U.S. Attorney General William Barr to utilize two tools available to the Department of Justice, pattern-or-practice reviews and consent decrees, to aid local police departments in identifying and implementing reforms where they are needed.

The full text of the resolution can be found below.

“Whereas a free society depends on the rule of law, which is the foundation for the preservation of public order, peace, and individual rights;

Whereas the United States has a troubled history of racism that includes slavery, the terror of lynch mobs, segregation, and Jim Crow, and that history leaves the United States with important work to accomplish;

Whereas the just and unbiased enforcement of the rule of law and the protection of innocent individuals against lawbreakers is the essential function of government at the local, State, and Federal levels;

Whereas the law enforcement profession is inherently dangerous, and police officers risk their lives every day;

Whereas, in 2019, 89 Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty;

Whereas law enforcement officers are entrusted by the public to uphold the law;

Whereas law enforcement officers who abuse their positions, engage in corruption, employ excessive force, or exhibit bias betray the public trust and undermine the rule of law;

Whereas the killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, at the hands of law enforcement was a horrific act that violated the public trust and was inconsistent with the values and conduct expected of law enforcement officers;

Whereas the law enforcement officers involved in the killing of George Floyd have been terminated from their positions and charged with crimes relating to their conduct and their contribution to the death of George Floyd;

Whereas good law enforcement cannot exist without accountability and justice;

Whereas understaffed police departments and under-trained police officers increase the risk of encounters that result in the use of force, including unjustifiable or excessive force; and

Whereas defunding the police would leave police departments understaffed and under-trained, while also increasing the risk of violent crime to the communities of the United States, especially vulnerable communities: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate—

(1) calls for justice for George Floyd; and

(2) opposes efforts to defund the police.”

The resolution is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (N.D.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Josh Hawley (Mo.), Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Martha McSally (Ariz.), and Pat Toomey (Pa.).