Senator Cornyn, Dallas Mayor Johnson Host Roundtable with Law Enforcement, Community Leaders to Discuss Police Reform

Posted on June 12, 2020

DALLAS (WBAP/KLIF)- Following nationwide protests on racial inequality in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, U.S. Senator John Cornyn and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson hosted a roundtable on the relationship between law enforcement and the community they serve. Participants included Dallas law enforcement, union representation, and local community and faith leaders.

Senator Cornyn said he wanted to listen and learn about what’s being done in Dallas and what can be done nationally in regards to police reform and racial inequality. Cornyn said participants’ feedback will help him in his role on the Senate’s new criminal justice reform task force announced this week.

“I actually believe something good can come out of this but we still have a lot of work to do,” said Cornyn. “In Washington we will be convening and trying to address through legislation various things we can do to help police and provide resources in regards to proper training” he said.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson said discussions like this are needed to make a change. “At this point the status quo is not acceptable and not sustainable,” he said. “It’s past time that we have to be frank and have honest discussions about the future of our city, state and country,” said Johnson.

Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Adam McGough said they are looking to make changes whether it’s in funding or better police oversight. “We will continue to see what things we can do to build trust in our community,” he said. McGough said they also plan to root out each and every incident regarding racism in the police department. He also voiced ideas on federal funding for screening and intervention to help those officers dealing with mental health issues and funding for proper de-escalation training.

Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall also shared what the Dallas Police Department is doing to build trust within the community.

“Most of us have come to realize that there are challenges in law enforcement and as much as we try to stomp out this behavior it still exists,” said Hall. “We have been doing the work, we have made changes…but it’s bigger than that,” she said.

Chief Hall said they are going to start implementing an early warning system within the police department, that notifies a supervisor immediately when an officer has had 3 or more incidents of unacceptable behavior. Also, to improve transparency, Hall said they are working on a Video Release Policy, and will release information to the public within 48 hours of a critical incident.

Hall said they have implemented stricter qualifications for hiring officers and will have systems in place that keep the officers who don’t belong, out of the department. “We acknowledge it, we will fix it and we will move forward,” she said.

 

 

 

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