Why We Joined Law Enforcement Leaders
Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration unites current and former police chiefs, sheriffs, federal and state prosecutors, and attorneys general from all 50 states to urge for a reduction in both crime and incarceration. Since the group’s launch in late October, its ranks have grown to over 160 members. Law Enforcement Leaders are speaking out on why they joined a group dedicated to reducing crime and unnecessary incarceration.
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis joined the group because it offers a “powerful message from across the nation: prosecutors and law enforcement officials are coming together to say we can keep you safe as well as reduce those who are in prisons and find alternatives to custody.”
Houston Police Chief Charles McClelland says “some of the things we have done in the past are no longer effective and it’s a drain on our resources.” Instead, he asserts “we have to make sure we are locking up the right people for the right reasons.”
Former Nevada U.S. Attorney Richard Pocker believes “sentencing reform is necessary – and we have to do it in such a way as to protect the public and associating with a fine group of individuals such as this with those noble goals is, I think, a step in the right direction for me and for the country.”
Chittenden County, Vermont State’s Attorney T.J. Donovan thinks “we have to address the issues of addiction, we have to address the issues of mental illness in order to promote public safety.”
Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner hopes this group will “first illuminate that there is a problem, potentially identify some solutions that are working in other cities, and then draft effective strategies that are unique to your area and what is going on in your community.”
Former Sheriff Allison DeFoor feels that the “role of police chiefs and prosecutors is pivotal because they’re the ones the public trusts and make it work but they’ve got to be held accountable.”
Cheyenne Police Chief Brian Kozak joins fellow law enforcement to say in a unified voice that “we can lower crime, we can lower the rate of people going to prison, and at the same time, really bring attention to the hard work that men and women in our police forces are doing every day to protect our country.”
View the full membership here, or click here to become a member.