>> saturday former president donald trump speaks tembers of the national rifle association afternnual meeting in dallas. watch live at 3 p.m. easternn c-span, c-span now our free mobile video app or online at >> will you solemnly swear that in the testimonyou to give would be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god? >> saturdays watch a good history tvs congress investigates as we explore major investigations in our country's history by u.s. house and senate. each week writers and distorts tell these stories and we'll see a stork footage fro and examined the impact and legacy of key congressional hearings. week we look at investigation that followed the deadly 1993 siege t branch davidian compound near waco, texas, and what that event has made in the years investigates

saturdays at 7 p.m. eastern on c-span2. >> c-span is your unfiltered view of government or were funded by theseelio companies and more including charter >> charger is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers, a w i get just getting started building 100 mf new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communicaalongith thr television providers giving you ront-row seat to democracy. >> host: welcome back. we're going to beking about policing policy priorities andle president of the association ofe che, wl johnson. welcome to the program. >> guest: thank you for having a drama first tell us about the international association of

chiefs of police, what your minuest: certainly. we are membership organization comprised of 35,000 pol and executives across 178 different our priority admission is to better the profession of policing, to elevate the service delivery within the community through each of our members serveve and to create training d public policy opportunities for them to sgt build public trust within the communities where they serve. >> host: and it is national police week come so happy police week to you. it kicked off on monday but this how are some of the ways it is celebrated and it is commemorated? >> guest: honestly it's a memorial more than anything else.th ervice is a sacrifice. we know that we strive to create much good but in the processin

that some of the police officers serving in their, so it's way for us tod in the collectively remember their sacrifices for the presently serving, to honor their memory and also honor that through excellent service moving forward. >>ost: . the candlelight vigil was this week. later today is no more on the capitol on that willaw be attend by thousands. >> host: we mentioned earlier in this program that the fbi is reporting thatssn law enforcement officers in the u.s. have reached a ten year high as of 2023. d think that is? >> guest: ihi factors that are driving that issue. if you look at the l highest level, and communities are very divisive right now on a var of issues. certainly i know in washington, t plant in the political process. that divisiveness leads to improved opportunities for

attacks,le crime, criminal offenses taking place, and t perception those sorts of actions could be justified orgh. i think we are wrestling with that as a community in terms of how do we address the notion that violence is not a solution for any sort of problem that people may be facing. >>t: article from frontline pbs says hundreds of deadly police encounters, officers broke mu i wonder, what are the challenges in actual encounters and is it that there aresolice t follow procedures? is it a tiny problem? >> guest: i rea i wanted to comm with some the context they provided in these encounters that there e focusing on our dynamic, complex.

the law requires that they be indendently and assessed. importantly, it is important to remember that less than 0.15% 0.25% of any policing counter with thlic results in the use of force. we make about the 900,000 police officers that are serving across this country -- when we think about the 900,000 police officers that are serving across this country, th instances in this article are stored nearly small. within that we still need to strive to improve, have best practices, take lessons learned from any event and constantly improve the delivery of police services and that ist international association of chiefs of police does through policy development a we will tas for will johnson, the fourth

vice president of the international association of chiefs of police. thli eastern and central time zones, (202) 748-8000. mountain or pacific, (202) 748-8001. we have a line for law enforcement, (202) 748-8002. you can also reach us via text and on social media. i want tohow u something from the marshall project. this is the headline that they do not have guns but they are responding to more 911 calls. a new generation of first responders is handling mental health c and other emergencies in cities across the u.s.. wanting to getr reaction to mental health crises and the ability of police officers to respond to those. guest: i appreciate this question. this is one of the most important topics we are facing es.in com the first thing we have to recognize is the mental health

system needs assistance. it is not serving all of the aspects and the needs within the communbe officer for someone in mental distress is the only solution available as a commu, failed. constantly looking at how do we improve the delivery of medical services in community. how do we improve psychiatric care? in many communities the closest access that they have for psychiatric services may be hours away particularly in rural jurisdonthe police should not bd as the first solution to this problem. many times, we are the only aspect of government that still use lls and people call 911 in crisis, they need help. having an effectively trained officer toerstand the complexities of what they are dealing with and the behavior may not be what is

manifesting in person is key to success. host: i want to ask you about recruiting and retention of officersecar■%xátmt of justice put out a report calling it an historic crisis in finding and keeping officers. what's behind it? guest: they are not wrong. we areadwinds in terms of being ableuit d retain people that want to serve as police officers in communities. is entire cyclical ough officers to meet the needs, then you have needs in the community that go unmet and often times within our system of delivery, we focus on violent crime and then you have property crime or public disorder or livability crimes that go unmet because they are not enough officers. resident in your community you are far more likely to be

by a disorder crime or a property crime or a theft or dealing with the inflation that tail theft or organized cargo theft impacting communities all across the u.s. because we simply don't have enough officers to meet thed.host: we o talk to you. híi just wanted to ask you first about the campus protest and to -- and police department w apanopriate that is in response to let's assume peaceful protests. that is the starting point. we have a fundamental guarant right in the notice date -- in the united states of freedom of simply and fomwe can never assus peaceful as officers. e of the most concerning statements that is publicly reported especially he is whatever they say, it is mostly peaceful. that mostly is really where

the are the intersectionsecause where they have to respond, they have to address those agitators. in seducing a republic, the -- in our concert to snow republic, the rights of an individual or greater than thestudents who are trying to attend classes, take finangradus and how police are making sure to balance the appro all people's rights are protected is really important. host: let's take a call from tom in tampa, florida. caller: good morning. good morning chief johnson. appreciate all the work you do. the reason for my call is was on the second earlier about law forcement in the community.

i tuned in midway through that en■7i was getting somewhat livit some of the callers that were calling because they were talking about police in the community. they were talking about how they hate the police and everything wrong about officers. why i was livid was simply because of the fact that i will throw four names out there. weeks, officer sam, officer elliott and officer josh w. those o killed in charlotte, north carolina. one of thes officer.as like every othe he was a husband. he was a father. now his wife is a widow andis children are left without their

father who was very important in how can anybody hate my son? my son was what everybody in the united states is, father and spouse. i'm sorry, i like what you do, chief. what you are trying to do is make sure we have enough l and order and if it is important in this country, the police must b. they go to work every not knowing if they will come home. they do that every day and they don't even talk about it. even though the risk is there, they don't talk about it because they are doing the job they want to do because they want to protect and serve. my son was always a servant, even when he was a teenager. he just loved people. man for others all the time.

i think most the people in this country are supportive of law enforcement because when they got information from the medical examiner, the interstate wad wi. there were six or seven people with love and support for what these gentlemen did that day. they keep the community safe. host:o sorry for your loss. this is the article on the associated press. four officers killed in north carolina red disadvantage as shots range from above according to police. guest: the first thing i want to say is a heartfelt t yhis servi. when we talk about national police week and the challenges, this resonate within communities. not just policing communities

but within communities. cann imagine losing a child but i haveoscers under my command. thank you for his service. we mourn fim now. he stood as a police officer for the rights of all people including thre with us. although it is personally because behind uniform is a person it is personally distasteful what people characterize i because of the profession we have chosen. i accepted twh entered into the profession and i know that this caller's sundt. it is all about how we make community stronger in a constitutional way and protect victims. in t charlotte case there are many concerns about that

incident that international has.ciation of chiefs of pic we talk about recidm, to weapons the people who were felons, the violent nature of being able to arrest individuals who are absconding from the law th challenges that they have in executing those warrants sometimes it's oversimplified whenever it is being reported either in this case community habit or in instances where people may not understand police tactics or have questions about police behavior. to he those conversations because of thcompd the topic at the time. host: let's talk to anne in massachusetts. caller: thank you for taking my call. i was able to get through this morning and i am grateful because i have been goina huge n rockport. it is a small community.

people. i have beenarthe past six years. i tried to have an aie the chief of police a couple of years ago when one of the on a case and wrote up one of my complaints to make it look as though i was the aggressor and not the victim. he refused to meet with me. i have had multiple different charges. i ha called the police department over 100 times. nstantly telling me that i need to go to the court. next door, my husband is a vietnam veteran. i am 75. he is 78. my husband has been spent at -- sp at. the man is now stalking me.

he follows me around the yard. swears, f you. e me all kinds of names. host: iy ill? caller: i seem to think he is. two weeks ago had a huge problem here on a friday. mes.d to have the police to my the next night, his sister, he ve the sister is 66 and this tournament i 78 -- just gentleman 78. a number of people have said the same thing.we think he is also . that is my problem. less she speaks up, but i am speaking up and i am not getting any results from the police chief. in our community we don't have the only thing they do is they stop slap on the hand for speeding. host:get response. guest: i think your first question a great reflection

of the challenges that are out there. first i will tell you to continue to engage with your local police department in expressing your concerns. i know that through that dialogue, a solution will be adverted -- efforted to rectify . we don't have all the details. we have a limited set of case facts. the intersection between criminal behavior, civil infractions and juspo manners all collide whenever you start talking about neighborhood is there mental illnesses? is there just a personality disorder in terms of incompatibility? in the united states it is not illega bsometimes police are ret the intersection of all of those different data points in terms

of hy tr tto protect the rights for all involved bei'm qe neighbor, if we had him on thisa different set of facts. the police have to wade through that, reconcile it with the law and move forward with the most appropriate constitutional solution. host: we have a text for you from anthony in newwho says hepolice call bring up -- e covering up actions in police corruption. specifically relating to the county district attorney cove.guest: i don't have any fas about the specific examples but i can address the whole concept ofil or the potential for police misconduct or police corruption.

it absolutely has to be unroote. it does not matter whether you are in policing, whether you are a wall street banker or a prosecutor or an attorney. every profession has that is a potential risk. this is where the building trust campaign for iacp is so important. one of the key pillars in thatgd culture. as a policexer you are the chief, a command ofr e supervisor, what are you doing to build a culture of honor, policing so that we can nthe potential for misconduct and prevent it from happening in the ace. host: here is larry in springfield, ohio. caller: hello. i glad you could take my call. you. 89 years old.

nd a while. i have seen a lf police department. there was a very good friend of mine who was a county sheriff. iifferent people. the biggest problem right now is noe . the police do their job and do it quite well i think. as far as retention, i don't blame them. of the prosecutors and judges turned them right back again. it is hard to do a job when you don't get any backing. those are my comments. host: also, janet in frida, saysiolence against police has increased because violence by the police against the people has increased. do you■ agree? guest: i do not agree to that last statement, which is not to say that i am not attuned cases that might be driving that perception or driving that

violence perceived violence directed unlawfully is not a solution. we are a nation of laws. we are a nation of due process . we are a nation where engagement and participation in the government's key, not violence. lk about the first caller's comments about extending the scope of accountability ente criminal justice system, that is a key priority for iacp. we always start with ourselves and how we can improve, how we can deliver services better, how can west address areas where we are not as effective as we should be and want to do more. we are only one segment of the entire criminal justice system. prosecutors,udge probation,

parole, recidivism, the mental health community that we already talked about, eaf those has overall criminal justice system alog aboutly less accountability improving the system for the communities that we serve. we think we can improve in that area. host: we have a posting on x om annette who says where does the police get allheeople to show up in combat gear to show up to calls all these people to do police stand around and do nothing when one group is beating another group of otes■aters? i think that last comment she is the ucla situation where there were counter protesters and reports that the police stood by for three hours. guest: before we get into that point, i want to frame the language ad it because it is

really important. they are not in combat gear. e ear with that. just like with many professions, they have personal protective equipment because we are asking bein to be in a place that is inherently dangerous based on af you just described in terms of what took place at ucla. when you have crowd dynamics and the mob mentality, there is some psychology around what the mob mentality can produce where people who may not normally act a certain way based on environmental conditions with other protesters inro change that behavior. the police officers have to be prtee trng to respond to keep the peace. that is the police's role in that moment, to protect the police. clearly the events of ucla are concerning. there is a lot of queions

that the policing profession have and the community has. i thinkw that conversation and the facts to continue to come in and play out n ke important decisions about how do we rede s happening in the future. host: let's talk to robert in ohio. good morning.caller: good morni. chief johnson, why is it tt there are so many shootings when it comes tous t white population? is anything with all the new technology, with the cameras and some of the lethal weaponry that the police department can use? also, i have a problem with all these congressmen, in all of these different states

and open carry.al to carryun to me, it poses more problems st: you mean it is legafo formeo carry concealed. guest: what i think he was referencing was general populations and the presence of weapons and whether or not states are allowing open or not. there is a mixed opinion with that. part of the constitutional governing i would say our elected officials are engaging in that and trying to represent their communities to the best ot their stakeholders are telling them. certainly, there are things that make poling challenging and there are things rights.

we have to be able toose rvicese conditions regardless of what the political opinion is on the topic. this is what i was talking about which is a law to expand concealed carry for qualified law enforcement officers. it says that this act introduced by representative dunn bacon of nebraska wouldow qualified officers to carry concealed firearms in areas as school zones, national parks, federal facilities open to the p, state and local private property open to the public. the bill would expand those abilities to off-duty and retired law enforcement i justur association. you support certain legislation, do you lobby congress? guest: what you are referencing is the act that is already law

in the united states. extends the right for police officers to haveci in other states in terms of the powers that are created. reference is an expansion of that into certain areas that i want to make p is already legal. when we talk abohathat represene communities every single day. that protection and the requirement in the evaluation of thd behavior, whether they are on duty or off duty is always subject to public al police officers to have the weapon they normally have in their communities available in their private life as well. host: the last call is debbie in , oh. caller: i highly respect you. i am a mother of someone in the

austin police department. i have seen everything deteriorate as far as our laws protecting our police when they are on duty. our guys get out of there and they are there to protect us. there are people violating the rights. they have no mistake -- the laws are austed so they go out because they're not enough room in the jails for all of this stuff. that is why there are so many drugs. f the shooting deaths that is probably drug-related. we have too many rights for the criminalts for the people. that needs to be revised. the prison system, everything is a mess because the money and situation, but you can expect their lives if they areere and

going to be taken care of. i m in bringing someone and ethical and back out in 24 hours? tremont last comment. portant point about the a very national drugy policy. i mean,he lot of different perspective on that topic, and certainly a lot of say this at■■+ iacp here to lacf a natural approach uniform drug policy creates challenges and problems with the execution of the public's will on that topic. so you always have to ask yourself this question. a 21-year-old police officer workinid withff little to no supervision by themselves have we as a society given themood guidance on what we expect them to do in any situation? whomes to national drug policy andtongatchwork of laws across each d for police

officers to understand what we expect, we the community, expect them to do. >> host: will johnson, former police chief of arlington, texas, fromef 2 and fourth vice president the national assothk you so much for joining us. >> guest: iq for having me. >> house speaker mike johnson delivered a tribute to fallen police officers during a prayer vigil on capitol hill. joining the speaker at the podium was the widow of atlantic city police officer thomas mcmeekin and retired nypd detective thomas donahue, widower of lieutenant maure donahoe. [inaudible conversations]