Group Aims to End 'Unnecessary Incarceration'
Source Officer.com News
A new group comprised of top law enforcement leaders will hold a press conference at the White House today to call for the end to "unnecessary incarceration" in the United States while maintaining public safety.
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Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration, which includes 130 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, and attorneys general from all 50 states, will meet with President Barack Obama to urge him to take action to reform the criminal justice system.
The creation of the group marks an unprecedented partnership among the nation's top law enforcement leaders to push reforms to reduce incarceration.
During the press conference, police chiefs from six of the largest U.S. cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Houston, and New Orleans, will announce their policy agenda.
"As the public servants working every day to keep our citizens safe, we can say from experience that we can bring down both incarceration and crime together," Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and Law Enforcement Leaders Co-Chair Garry McCarthy said in a statement. "Good crime control policy does not involve arresting and imprisoning masses of people. It involves arresting and imprisoning the right people. Arresting and imprisoning low-level offenders prevents us from focusing resources on violent crime. While some may find it counterintuitive, we know that we can reduce crime and reduce unnecessary arrests and incarceration at the same time."
Members of the group plan to work within their departments as well as with policymakers to pursue reforms around four policy priorities.
Paul Peluso | Editor
Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.
