Sec. 1 Policy
Law enforcement officers are often a person's first point of contact with our criminal justice system, and we depend on them to uphold these principles while doing the demanding and often life-threatening work of keeping us safe. We expect them to help prevent and solve crimes and frequently call upon them to respond to social problems outside their expertise and beyond their intended role, diverting attention from their critical public safety mission and increasing the risks of an already dangerous job—which has led to the deaths of law enforcement officers and civilians alike. The vast majority of law enforcement officers do these difficult jobs with honor and integrity, and they work diligently to uphold the law and preserve the public's trust.
Yet, there are places in America today, particularly in Black and Brown communities and other communities of color, where the bonds of trust are frayed or broken. We have collectively mourned following law enforcement encounters that have tragically ended in the loss of life. To heal as a Nation, we must acknowledge that those fatal encounters have disparately impacted Black and Brown people and other people of color. The pain of the families of those who have been killed is magnified when expectations for accountability go unmet, and the echoes of their losses reverberate across generations. More broadly, numerous aspects of our criminal justice system are still shaped by race or ethnicity. It is time that we acknowledge the legacy of systemic racism in our criminal justice system and work together to eliminate the racial disparities that endure to this day. Doing so serves all Americans.
Through this order, my Administration is taking a critical step in what must be part of a larger effort to strengthen our democracy and advance the principles of equality and dignity. While we can make policing safer and more effective by strengthening trust between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve, we must also reform our broader criminal justice system so that it protects and serves all people equally. To be clear, certain obstacles to lasting reform require legislative solutions. In particular, system-wide change requires funding and support that only the Congress can authorize. But my Administration will use its full authority to take action, including through the implementation of this order, to build and sustain fairness and accountability throughout the criminal justice system.
The need for such action could not be more urgent. Since early 2020, communities around the country have faced rising rates of violent crime, requiring law enforcement engagement at a time when law enforcement agencies are already confronting the challenges of staffing shortages and low morale. Strengthening community trust is more critical now than ever, as a community's cooperation with the police to report crimes and assist investigations is essential for deterring violence and holding perpetrators accountable. Reinforcing the partnership between law enforcement and communities is imperative for combating crime and achieving lasting public safety.
It is therefore the policy of my Administration to increase public trust and enhance public safety and security by encouraging equitable and community-oriented policing. We must commit to new practices in law enforcement recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention, as well as training, oversight, and accountability. Insufficient resources, including those dedicated to support officer wellness—needed more than ever as officers confront rising crime and the effects of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic—jeopardize the law enforcement community's ability to build and retain a highly qualified and diverse professional workforce. We must work together to ensure that law enforcement agencies have the resources they need as well as the capacity to attract, hire, and retain the best personnel, including resources to institute screening mechanisms to identify unqualified applicants and to support officers in meeting the stresses and challenges of the job. We must also ensure that law enforcement agencies reflect the communities they serve, protect all community members equally, and offer comprehensive training and development opportunities to line officers and supervisors alike.
Building trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve also requires accountability for misconduct and transparency through data collection and public reporting. It requires proactive measures to prevent profiling based on actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), or disability, including by ensuring that new law enforcement technologies do not exacerbate disparities based on these characteristics. It includes ending discriminatory pretextual stops and offering support for evidence-informed, innovative responses to people with substance use disorders; people with mental health needs; veterans; people with disabilities; vulnerable youth; people who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or trafficking; and people experiencing homelessness or living in poverty. It calls for improving and clarifying standards for police activities such as the execution of search warrants and the use of force.
Many law enforcement agencies across the country—including at the Federal, State, Tribal, local, and territorial level—have already undertaken important efforts to modernize policing and make our broader criminal justice system more effective and more equitable. Their work has inspired many of the provisions of this order. These agencies—and the officers who serve within them—deserve recognition for their leadership and appreciation for setting a standard that others can follow. This order seeks to recognize these key reforms and implement them consistently across Federal law enforcement agencies. Through this order, the Federal Government will also seek to provide State, Tribal, local, and territorial law enforcement agencies with the guidance and support they need to advance their own efforts to strengthen public trust and improve public safety.
It is also the policy of my Administration to ensure that conditions of confinement are safe and humane, and that those who are incarcerated are not subjected to unnecessary or excessive uses of force, are free from prolonged segregation, and have access to quality health care, including substance use disorder care and mental health care. We must provide people who are incarcerated with meaningful opportunities for rehabilitation and the tools and support they need to transition successfully back to society. Individuals who have been involved in the criminal justice system face many barriers in transitioning back into society, including limited access to housing, public benefits, health care, trauma-informed services and support, education, nutrition, employment and occupational licensing, credit, the ballot, and other critical opportunities. Lowering barriers to reentry is essential to reducing recidivism and reducing crime.
Finally, no one should be required to serve an excessive prison sentence. When the Congress passed the First Step Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-391), it sought to relieve people from unfair and unduly harsh sentences, including those driven by harsh mandatory minimums and the unjust sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses. My Administration will fully implement the First Step Act, including by supporting sentencing reductions in appropriate cases and by allowing eligible incarcerated people to participate in recidivism reduction programming and earn time credits.
With these measures, together we can strengthen public safety and the bonds of trust between law enforcement and the community and build a criminal justice system that respects the dignity and equality of all in America.