Washington D.C. – President Biden spent decades in the Senate pushing for tough and aggressive law enforcement and led the passage of the 1994 crime bill that reduced violent crime to record lows. But it was clear that “tough on crime” persona was long gone as Biden addressed the annual law enforcement memorial event outside the United States Capitol on Saturday.
In the 20 minute speech, rather than speaking about the largest crime wave in 100 years and the deadliest year in history for law enforcement, Biden pushed for police reform and the passage of his massive spending bill, which he said includes $350 million for community policing programs that, he promised, will “stop violence before it starts.”
Biden praised the response of law enforcement during the January 6th riot saying it was only because of law enforcement that “democracy survived,” but failed to mention the response by thousands of cops in 2020 to violent riots across the country.
Biden’s remarks brought a muted response from the crowd of law enforcement and the survivors from those killed in the line of duty.
