President Biden implied major legislation changes could take place as he said no one should be imprisoned for using drugs.
Speaking to his audience in a CNN town hall in Milwaukee, the 46th US president vowed to end jail terms for drug offenses and replace them with rehabilitation.
During his appearance in Wisconsin, the president was answering questions from members of the audience including CNN’s host Anderson Cooper and pastor Dannie Evans.
“By number one, not defunding the police,” the president responded after the pastor asked him how he planned to avoid “over-legislating” the police while training them to do their job with compassion.
“We have to put more money in police work so we have legitimate community policing and we’re in a situation where we change the legislation.”
He added: “Nobody should go to jail for a drug offense. No one should go to jail for the use of a drug. They should go to drug rehabilitation.”
While the president suggested law enforcement needs even more funding, he went on to call for more diversity in the ranks of police officers.
“We also need to provide for, and it’s already happening, more African American and more Hispanic police officers. By the way, they don’t get it all right either by a long shot,” Biden said.
“Every cop when they get up in the morning and put on that shield has a right to expect to go home to their family that night.
“Conversely, every kid walking across the street wearing a hoodie is not a member of a gang and about to knock somebody off.”
As Biden made it clear once more, he is firmly against defunding the police despite the fact that some Democrats have been calling for it ever since George Floyd’s death last year.
Previously, in September, he said: “I’m totally opposed to defunding the police officers. They need more assistance.”
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Replaced!