Police reform could get jump start by Sen. Gary Peters' Strong Communities Act
FOX 2 - "The image of the knee on the neck is ingrained in our minds," said US Sen. Gary Peters (D-Michigan).
It's an image you can't forget - former Minneapolice police officer Derek Chauvin's knee on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.
In the wake of Floyd's death there are a number of efforts now underway to reform policing and criminal justice.
Among them, is the Strong Communities Act from Peters, which is among other things meant to bolster community policing, build trust and increase the number of police from the communities they serve.
"I believe that communities should be allowed to require that people who live in the community, police the community," said Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon. "When I was hired in Detroit residency was a requirement."
Napoleon acknowledged comprehensive criminal justice reform goes beyond examining policing.
"We have to decrease our appetite for incarceration," he said.
Rev. Dr. Steve Bland Jr. of the Council of Baptist Pastors, painted a picture of how the current climate is impacting people.
"Members of my church, young people, young adults, both male and female, I hear the stories all the time," Dr. Bland said. "People are afraid. One of them walks around with a copy of the US Constitution so they can read their rights if they are pulled over.
"Shooting someone in the back because they have a Taser, which is known to be a non-lethal weapon, is not the solution. Protests without change is normalcy. We are tired of the normalcy, we need to see the change. We need to bring it back to community."
