[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 130, 114th Congress, 2nd Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
Proclamation 9513 of September 30, 2016

National Community Policing Week, 2016

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Police officers are essential members of our communities--maintaining
our way of life depends on their dedicated efforts to keep us safe.
These officers hold significant civic and law enforcement
responsibilities and put their lives at risk to protect us each day, at
times facing some of the most adverse circumstances imaginable. The
overwhelming majority of police officers are fair, dedicated, and honest
public servants who strive daily to cultivate and sustain positive
relationships with the communities they serve and protect. As recent
tragedies have illustrated, however, it is clear that there are still
too many places in America where these relationships are strained and
where officers and community members have struggled to build and
maintain trust.
During National Community Policing Week, we reaffirm our commitment to
supporting and advancing the practice of community policing and to
fortifying the bonds between police officers and communities. Community
policing recognizes that law enforcement cannot solve public safety
problems alone and encourages interactive partnerships with relevant
stakeholders--including community groups, nonprofits, faith-based
organizations, and businesses. This active collaboration can improve
public trust and fortify relationships, not only advancing public
safety, but also deepening social connectivity and creating lasting
solutions to challenging problems we face every day.
The underlying tensions that sometimes exist between law enforcement
officers and communities span decades and reflect a breadth of social
and cultural challenges, including racial and socioeconomic disparities.
Through meaningful efforts to strengthen community policing, we can meet
these challenges, improve these vital relationships, and make real and
lasting progress. Together, we can take constructive steps to support
our women and men in uniform while instilling confidence in the fairness
of the justice system for everybody and ensuring that law enforcement
officers discharge their duties impartially.
A critical part of enhancing trust is making certain that when an
incident occurs, the public is confident that an investigation is fair
and effective--both for the officer and for the families of those who
have been affected. We must also work with law enforcement on training,
hiring, and recruiting techniques and provide support and proper
resources as they deal with the challenges of the job. In 2015, I
announced a Task Force on 21st Century Policing to bring together
community leaders and law enforcement to provide recommendations to help
us build the kind of trust we need. In the time since the Task Force
issued a report of their findings, we have seen progress with re

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spect to data gathering, training, transparency, and community
outreach--and communities across America are working to implement these
recommendations. We must also recognize that we cannot keep expecting
police to solve the issues we fail to address as a society, including
poverty, substandard schools, inadequate job opportunities, and lack of
care for mental illnesses or substance use disorders; doing so
contributes to unrest in communities and exacerbates tensions.
My Administration has worked to bridge divides and bolster community
policing efforts across our country. In 2014, the Department of Justice
(DOJ) launched the National Initiative for Building Community Trust and
Justice to invest in training, evidence-based strategies, and research
to help reduce implicit bias and enhance procedural justice and
reconciliation. The DOJ has provided additional resources to the Office
of Community Oriented Policing Services for hiring police officers
across America and advancing 21st-century policing efforts. We are also
continuing to provide millions of dollars in grants to agencies that
demonstrate robust community policing initiatives. Last year, the White
House and the DOJ launched the Police Data Initiative to encourage law
enforcement, technologists, and researchers to use data to increase
transparency and strengthen accountability between community members and
police. And this summer, we launched the Data-Driven Justice Initiative
to equip law enforcement officers with the tools they need to safely and
effectively divert low-level offenders with mental illnesses out of the
criminal justice system. The Federal Government must continue to partner
with State and local leaders, as well as the law enforcement community,
to expand best practices that increase trust and public safety.
Every American has the power to make change in their communities. By
working together to improve law enforcement practices and ensure we give
both police officers and community members the respect they deserve, we
can fulfill this important endeavor. This week, let us rededicate
ourselves to building a future in which police officers are honored for
their sacrifices and supported by their communities and in which members
of those communities can truly feel they are being served fairly and
justly by our women and men in blue.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of
America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2 through
October 8, 2016, as National Community Policing Week. I call upon law
enforcement agencies, elected officials, and all Americans to observe
this week by recognizing ways to improve public safety, rebuild trust,
and strengthen community relationships.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of
September, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
first.
BARACK OBAMA