Tim Walz on Crime Democrat

George Floyd protests: balance racial justice & public order

Walz publicly backed "swift justice" for the officers involved in Floyd's murder, drawing the ire of the state's police groups. He lamented that the protests and property damage taking over the streets were "symbolic of decades and generations of pain, of anguish unheard," and a response to a loss of trust in institutions like the police that he as a "white man" couldn't fully understand. He announced a state civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Dept. and carried out symbolic actions like issuing a proclamation for 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence.

At the same time, Walz activated the National Guard to deal with protests over Floyd's murder, which he dubiously claimed were 80% out-of-state troublemakers.

Police reforms: ban chokeholds; investigate misconduct

Walz signed a limited police reform bill into law at the height of the protests, banning chokeholds & "warrior" training techniques and mandating training for police and a duty to report on fellow officers using excessive force. It also created a statewide investigatory unit for, and a database for public records on, police misconduct.

Despite vowing to "burn political capital" to make it happen, further reform efforts died in the gridlocked legislature, and the cycle of police violence and protest has continued long after Floyd's death. Deaths at the hands of law enforcement in the state are still at elevated levels.

OpEd:riot response criticized as too weak AND too aggressive

[Gubernatorial opponent] former Senate Republican leader Paul Gazelka called Walz weak and hesitant when dealing with lawlessness and rising crime. [Gubernatorial opponent] former Sen. Scott Jensen, too, faulted the incumbent. "I think that he was slow to act at times, trying to check out what the political winds were telling us," Jensen said. "I think that was particularly crucial during the riots and the violence in late May and early June of 2020."

At the same time, Walz has faced criticism from the political left for what some saw as overly aggressive tactics used by the National Guard and other law enforcement agencies to respond to rioting.

Eliminate the death penalty

Indicate which principles you support regarding crime.
• Eliminate the use of the death penalty for federal crimes.
• Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, and disability be prosecuted as federal hate crimes.

Supports prison rehabilitation & job training

Indicate which principles you support regarding crime.
• Support programs to provide prison inmates with educational, vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
• Support programs to provide prison inmates with drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
• Impose stricter penalties for those convicted of corporate crimes.

Increase funding for "COPS ON THE BEAT" program.

COPS Improvements Act of 2007 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to make grants for public safety and community policing programs (COPS ON THE BEAT or COPS program). Revises grant purposes to provide for:

1. the hiring or training of law enforcement officers for intelligence, antiterror, and homeland security duties;
2. the hiring of school resource officers;
3. school-based partnerships between local law enforcement agencies and local school systems to combat crime, gangs, drug activities, and other problems facing elementary and secondary schools;
4. innovative programs to reduce and prevent illegal drug (including methamphetamine) manufacturing, distribution, and use; and
5. enhanced community policing and crime prevention grants that meet emerging law enforcement needs.

Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to:
1. assign community prosecutors to handle cases from specific geographic areas and address counterterrorism problems, specific violent crime problems, and localized violent and other crime problems; and
2. develop new technologies to assist state and local law enforcement agencies in crime prevention.

Rated 92% by the NAPO, indicating a tough-on-crime stance.

Ratings by the National Association of Police Organizations indicate support or opposition to issues of importance to police and crime. The organization`s self-description: `The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police units and associations from across the United States. NAPO was organized for the purpose of advancing the interests of America`s law enforcement officers through legislative advocacy, political action, and education.

`Increasingly, the rights and interests of law enforcement officers have been the subject of legislative, executive, and judicial action in the nation’s capital. NAPO works to influence the course of national affairs where law enforcement interests are concerned. The following list includes examples of NAPO’s accomplishments:

• Enactment of the Fair Sentencing Act
• Enactment of the National AMBER Alert Act
• Enactment of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
• Enactment of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act
• Enactment of the Law Enforcement Officers` Safety Act (Right to Carry Legislation)

VoteMatch scoring for the NAPO ratings is as follows:

• 0%-50%: soft on crime and police issues;
• 50%-75%: mixed record on crime and police issues;
• 75%-100%: tough on crime and police issues.