InProgress

from the Center for American Progress

Friend,

The most important responsibility of the government is to keep people safe. And right now, the federal government is doing the opposite: It is intentionally—and, often, with horrific brutality—putting Americans in danger.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, federal government agents have killed two people in just the past few weeks: Renée Good and Alex Pretti. These deaths should never have happened. And they are only the latest victims—others have been killed in the past several months, including Keith Porter Jr., who was killed on New Year’s Eve but without a video witness.

Under this administration, federal law enforcement officers are shooting the very people they’re charged with protecting, and they’re making it harder for local police and prosecutors to do their jobs. As Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara has said, “These tactics are very obviously not safe, and it is generating a lot of outrage and fear in the community.” Across the country, FBI agents are being pulled off serious investigations, leaving fewer crimes solved, fewer prosecutions brought, and fewer resources for local police.

Americans are right to expect their leaders—at every level—to take crime seriously. But this administration is misusing legitimate fears about crime to weaponize the government against its own people. Donald Trump is using the Department of Homeland Security as a paramilitary organization; it is operating without heed for human life, interfering with effective local policing, and putting Americans in danger. That’s why ICE and Border Patrol agents should be pulled out of Minneapolis immediately and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem should be fired.

Chaos and cruelty are not public safety strategies. We need a sensible path forward—one that prioritizes public safety without threatening Americans’ rights,  liberties, and freedoms. That means investing in what works: local law enforcement, effective anticrime strategies, and community-based strategies that actually keep people safe.

This week, the Center for American Progress released a new public safety plan that addresses crime head-on. It supports the kinds of evidence-based investments in detectives and well-trained police officers, crime-fighting strategies like real-time crime centers, and violence intervention programs that we know work.

The Washington Post wrote on the plan, which “cites research to argue that ‘more officers, when well-trained and properly utilized, reduce crime’ and calls on Congress to direct more funding to local law enforcement."

Americans deserve a government that focuses on safety and security for all, not some. CAP’s crime plan does just that. 

Sincerely,

Neera Tanden
President & CEO
Center for American Progress

From our friends at CAP Action

Trump’s ICE is making it harder for local police to do their jobs—and it's making all of us less safe.

CAP unveils its new plan to stop crime in our communities

Photo: Getty Images

Communities know exactly what happens when public safety systems don’t work: families feel less secure, neighborhoods lose stability, and confidence in local institutions declines. That’s why we’re excited to announce CAP’s new public safety agenda that lays out an evidence-based framework shaped by the realities communities face.

Our agenda focuses on tangible ways to deter crime, such as strengthening investigative capacity, investing in community violence intervention and prevention programs, and delivering swift and certain justice. This plan puts communities first and lays out the strategies necessary to restore the sense of safety families deserve.  

ICYMI: Neera Tanden discusses stopping crime with Tampa, Baltimore, and Milwaukee public officials

CAP’s Neera Tanden was recently joined by Mayors Jane Castor and Brandon Scott, as well as Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, for a discussion on strategies proven to increase public safety and reduce crime.