O’Halleran visits White House to announce new executive order on police reform

Jon Johnson File Photo: Rep. Tom O’Halleran speaks at the House of Hope opening in April 2021. O’Halleran recently spoke about President Joe Biden’s Executive Order regarding police reform.

Contributed Article

WASHINGTON D.C. – Last week, Congressman Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01) attended a White House signing ceremony of a new executive order that will improve public safety by building trust between law enforcement and communities, better support officers, improve knowledge sharing, raise standards, create new tools of accountability, increase transparency, and begin to reform our criminal justice system. The White House invited Representative O’Halleran following a detailed letter he sent in January 2022 with considerations for law enforcement police reforms. For a full fact sheet explainer from the White House, click HERE.

O’Halleran, a former police officer and homicide detective, has spent years in Congress working with federal, state, local, and tribal governments to find commonsense solutions to policing reform, and today released the following statement about President Biden’s executive order:

Contributed Photo: David O’Neal Brown, Chicago Superintendent of Police, pauses for a moment with Rep. Tom O’Halleran, a former Chicago PD Officer and homicide detective.

“For over a decade, I proudly served and protected the people of Chicago as a police officer, homicide detective, undercover officer, and member and then supervisor of a special operations unit. I saw the persistent fear families in communities with severe violent crime faced, just as I recognized the very real fears that people of color have as to how they’ll be treated by law enforcement, as the deaths of George Floyd and too many others remind us. As a representative of a rural district, I know the worry constituents have about response times that can take hours on rural and tribal lands despite officers’ best efforts. I also personally understand the worry and burdens officers’ families face daily, as well as the stresses and strains that are shouldered by police officers.

“The protection and equitable treatment of all Americans and the proper support and training of police should not be a partisan issue. This executive order is not and could not be a cure-all, but it is an important step for improving safety and rebuilding trust between police and communities. I appreciate the Administration considering my suggestions and insights during the development of the executive order and working with law enforcement and civil rights groups to develop the order. By working together, we can move forward.”