raul castro speaking at fidel castro's memorial service. john kerry will speak at the bookings institution's annual saban forum live at 1:00 p.m. eastern. "newsmakers" is glad to have virginia's bob goodlatte and , whogan's john conyers created a bipartisan and legislative working group on issues around communities in the country who are experiencing issues with police force and police response, prevalent in our society the last couple of years. let me introduce the reporters will be asking questions. kimbriell kelly of the "washington post." jesse holland of the associated dress. kim real kelly, you are up

first. kimbriell: since the working created this year, do you feel the focus has since changed, and what do you see as the limitations on that committee? >> well, thank you for the question. we are working hard to try to promote dialogue in communities across the country to address , in my a serious problem perception, a growing problem, in regard to violence affecting the police and people in communities. i just saw a statistic that said policethis year, fatalities are up 12% from last year over 130 police officers killed. in the line of duty. know about a number of

instances around the country where individuals in communities, particularly young males, have been killed in police officers -- by police officers. sometimes, investigation shows use of force was justified. sometimes, it does not. but obviously, there is a tremendous amount of mistrust has built up. i do not believe our mission has changed. try to get is to dialogue going in communities across the country. the cities we have visited, where they have been proactive in this regard, are more effective at preventing these things from occurring and when they do occur. and unfortunately, they will occur. will bey do occur, they better prepared to deal with it because they have developed a better, more trustful relationship between law enforcement and the communities they are trying to protect.

>> flow was your goal in forming this community -- what was your goal in forming this committee? jesse: there were big differences in attitude towards police. have a different attitude toward certain members of the community. to add to what chairman goodlatte mentioned, we have noticed that there has been a surge of police incidents, because now word travels across the country with lightning speed. they are no longer isolated. baltimore,appens in it spreads quickly throughout the country.

and what the police strategies group does -- and i am so glad we have been working on this together in a bipartisan sort of , because underneath all of these differences in views and that are unfortunately sure to erupt is the whole notion of "trust." we do, by having not only elected officials of their but , weenforcement officials have been in detroit, atlanta, washington we have had a couple. and we will continue them. in the spirit of trying to increase the level of trust between the groups. that we know there are some

people that probably should not be in law enforcement. andwe want to identify them get them out or into some kind of other line of activity as quickly as possible. but we also know there are who go off onle the police. sworn enemies of law enforcement. and they have to be handled also. the whole idea is to do this throughdiscussions, candid meetings. -- and i't say that can say that we've had good meetings. jesse: policing is such a local

issue. it is local and state. what role does the federal government, what role should the federal government have in this process in bridging the gap between communities and the policeman who live and work there. group has existed since summer. have you found any concrete answers to any of these questions? are there concrete proposals you can give out that you have learned since you have started this study group? there are discussions, but is there anything you can say to people in police watching that this is something you should start doing now to help solve these problems? rep. goodlatte: absolutely paid with regard to the issue of the federal role in this, the fact of the matter is we have law enforcement at every level of government. we have a number of federal law enforcement agencies. and the same concerns for their protection and safety, the same concern they be well trained, ipped, not hire people

who should not be in law enforcement is applicable to them as well. i agree with mr. conyers. when people who believe the solution to this problem is to take violent acts against police officers, deliberately targeting them, they need to be dealt with swiftly and surely and severely. we have to make sure our law enforcement officers know that our nation is behind their work, when they are putting their lives on the line every time they go into a community, knock on our door, every time they leave their home and their family worries about them. this is a problem that communities like detroit and atlanta have shared with us. as mr. conyers said, we brought people from other communities here to washington. they share their ideas as well.

they involve greater communication between law enforcement and the communities they are policing. they involve having open sessions like we have conducted, where people can share their concerns and complaints. i think if communities across the country, no matter how large or small they are, do this, they will create a better dialogue, and we will get to the situation that, i think, most people want to see with regard to the relationship between law enforcement and the communities. which is law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold the law and committed to keeping people safe. sometimes, people in the same communities where we see the most violence are those who are the greatest victims of criminal acts. the do not want police to not go in those areas, to not keep people safe in these areas where there are the highest crime rates. so this kind of cooperation is

important. funding is always an issue brought up with us. in the federal government obviously has funding for federal law enforcement. we also provide grant programs to help make sure police officers have bullet-proof vest, that police received good training. inhad the opportunity atlanta to participate in some of that training ourselves. i think it opened our eyes to the very difficult decisions that law enforcement officers have to make, and the good judgment they have to have. the more that training, the more we encourage law enforcement departments to get accreditation, all of these things are important. mr. conyers is also correct when he says we learn more about this as media has become more instantaneous, and information from the furthest corners of our nation becomes known to us, sometimes while the crimes are

still going on. us butould concern should also open our eyes to the fact that this is a growing problem. and one that communities need to bring police chief's online. police officers, sheriffs, community leaders, and average citizens together so they can discuss this and understand how everything works so that, a, these are less likely to occur, b, when they do occur, they handled this swiftly, so people do not engage in violence as a way to solve a problem that should never be solved that way. susan: ms. kelly has a follow-up for you. kimbriell: over the last couple of years, the "washington post"

has documented the number of officer-involved shooting's across the country. the number of officers who have killed has increased this year. the department of justice and the bia -- fbi promised to create databases that will track the number of use of force by officers across the country, beginning in 2017. my question to you is what will happen to those efforts now, after the election? rep. conyers: that is the $64 question i wish i could predict with some confidence. we are hopeful we can continue and,fforts we have begun with a new administration, new department of justice, we can continue moving forward in this area. e it is more wher

than bipartisanship, it's to the common benefit for every citizen in every city, county, state. there's a federal importance to this whole question of policing strategies and what should be done about it. the fact thatwith we still have a number of things done.ust be thes ago, i had a bill, patterns and practices act. useful way for a the federal government to intervene in what would normally be considered a local matter.

where there are certain activities or even, sometimes, particular law enforcement individuals or activists who are anti-law enforcement, who would bywarranted to be visited federal intervention. it has been used selectively. i have not found it to be criticized overly. it makes for the discussions and interchangesnd the necessary to build up this level of trust that is so important in inms of how we proceed building up good law enforcement

and community relationships. this is not a simple problem that passing a bill and signing a law will take care of. that, with the new administration, we can find ways to continue to work on this policing strategies conference. i start off with an open mind, with an attitude that is , that we continue and set a good example for our colleagues on both sides of the isle on an issue that emotional and touchy as this one of police relations. and it has to be said with that, in many places where things occur, it is an poverty-stricken

communities. places that are more desolate. places in which there is already a problem of high crime rate. we are looking for ways to these strategy meetings going on. there is a lot of work to be done. we are working with police associations and law enforcement can feel that the cops they have representation and they feel that we are looking at the concern that goes with every , where the officer goes to work every day, not knowing what may have been --

happen and what can be a problem. it is in that respect that i am placing a lot of hope on working leadership in the department of justice and seeing if we can continue this building trust that i think is fundamentally at the root of the problem. this lack of trust has to be increased to more and more understanding of the other parties' problem. so in that way, we'll be able to get somewhere now. listh i could tick off a of things we have accomplished and what we have learned, but it is coming out in such a way that pen mr.sure i could

goodlatte a list of things i think we have solved already. it is not that simple. s own politicalt' climate. each area has its own particular law enforcement problems. it is in putting this together and letting people know that we are interested that we will be able to continue to make progress. susan: we have 12 minutes left in our conversation. jesse holland is next. were justce you talking about the justice department, what advice would you give the presumptive ,ttorney general nominee senator jeff sessions of alabama, given that you have aroundonversations all the country.

the last two attorneys general were outspoken about protecting police and protecting communities. what advice would you give senator sessions, if he is confirmed, on how to use his pulpit as attorney general to address these concerns you have heard from around the question -- around the nation? rep. goodlatte: mr. conyers indicated some projections, but also his openness in working with them. i agree. i would say that we have not talked yet, this program, but mr. conyers and i and many others here in congress, have worked diligently in criminal justice reform. that includes making sure police have the tools they need to do their jobs properly. it includes making sure that we have the information shared about what works and what does not. and i know mr. conyers is working with me on a bill that we hope to produce soon that would make more information available.

sureso includes making people in communities, any that our, feel criminal justice system works to protect them and to ensure inple will be treated fairly the process. we are looking at everything from sentencing reform to prison reform, reentry into society after you have served time in prison. this all is related to federal prisons and federal crimes, of which there are a great many. but we have also learned from a number of states that have already done criminal justice reform and have seen a reduction in the crime rate and a reduction in their prison population at the same time. so there is a lot to be benefited from doing criminal justice reform. we think it should be done at the federal level as well. we also need to make sure we are looking at things like criminal intent, to make sure someone who is charged with a crime actually

the thousands of laws and hundreds of thousands of regulations actually was a crime. did they have terminal intent before you take liberties from them -- did they have criminal intent before you take liberties from them? make sure innocent people do not have their property removed with no effective way to get it that. we also need to make sure innocent people are not charged with crimes in the first place. therefore, using both technology and good law enforcement strategies are employed to protect the innocent, which, after all, is the chief goal of justice and law enforcement in our country. you far enough along in crafting this legislation that you could anticipate it being introduced early in the new congress, and would you find a receptive senate? rep. goodlatte: yes. the senate has been working on

it as well. there are differences between the house and senate, but we think the most important thing is for the house to take up the bills. thethat we are approaching end of this congress, we will work on the bills again. we will learn on what we happen working on here in the police strategies working group. by the way, it is not just mr. john it -- mr. conyers and i. it is 10 of the members with very diverse backgrounds. working groupthe are actually minorities. and i think it has proven to be something that has been an education to all of us. we will take that, and that will help to enhance our legislation, intowe will reintroduce the new congress. i hope we can. and i heard mr. conyers indicate that he hopes to as well. worked together on this goal. this is a long-term problem. there are important solutions we

can do now, and other things we will learn as we move forward. frome should not back away this issue. i think creating a sense on the part of the american people that their justice system works for them is something that i think will help solve this underlying problem of tensions between law enforcement and some communities. susan: seven minutes left. kimbriell kelly now. kimbriell: six months from now, when we are looking at this working group, what do you hope will be the number one priority that, on paper, you will say you have accomplished? rep. goodlatte: for me, it would be to say that there are communities all across america, particularly ones where they have had problems with this, but any community that wants to make sure they do not have a problem with relations between police and communities, will have brought people together to have the kind of dialogue we have been promoting. secondly, that -- in the

criminal justice reform measures i was talking about as well. john? rep. conyers: it seems to me we are both on the right track. essentialtanding is to build up trust. essential to be able to belive that dialogue and particular cases and challenges law enforcement has in this particular size society -- this article or society is solved. something i have a lot of emphasis on is reentry. person convicted,

imprisoned, released, and then unable to find employment makes him or her more vulnerable of something wrong to happen again. that is what we are trying to do. discussions --id and we include police chiefs and mayors and scholars and law enforcement experts -- with that, we have begun to see the other side of the picture. the ground we us need to build up the confidence to, iust that will lead hope, lower criminal activity and crime rates. it is true that a lot of these things are cultural. a lot of these things are tied

to geopolitical considerations in the city or town or state that there may be problems. it makesthat respect this an important and exciting part of our work on the house judiciary committee. this.uch involved with have been for a long time. but it is really good to have a chairman who wants to explore this, too. he comes with his own experiences and viewpoint, but we bring this together. that is with the legislative process is all about. things moreke understandable so that we can reduce the crime rate, increase the safety of people?

not just in the rural or urban ones, the rust belt or coast or the other. across the country. that is the national responsibility that i feel going in. and the big question is what will be the reaction of the new administration with regard to this subject matter? we will be counting on you to help work this out. and i will be doing everything i can as well to make sure that the success that the police strategies group, which has meetings, willr continue on with the support of a new administration. susan: let's see if we can get two more questions. jesse: congressman conyers told

my question, because it was going to be what will be they reaction of the new administration to the work you are doing? what do you think the new administration, it will have its own ideas. have you heard from anyone in the new administration on what they think needs to be done? rep. conyers: i have not talked to anybody in the new all the way up to the president-elect about what we will be doing about this. but i do not want to jump the gun. i want this to move in an orderly way. rep. goodlatte: it is so new that we do not have but a few ines of people who will be positions important in this regard. i look forward to having discussions with those them -- with them.

think this is something the american people long for and that the administration could provide real leadership in helping to rebuild the kind of trust we need in communities between law enforcement and the people they are sworn to serve and protect, some of whom do not understand that, and we need to promote that. i also want to say this is something that really, i think, is something that congress, both the house and senate, should get behind. we can lead the way in terms of showing what kind of things can be done based upon what we have --rned in our working group what kind of things can be done based upon what we have learned. in our working group, we have proven that. people who have been community leaders, sheriffs,

people who have lived in all types of different communities across america. as we go out and meet with groups, we are having, i think, considerable success sharing ideas but also learning from the people we are meeting with. susan: we are pretty much out of time. i say thank you to judiciary committee chair bob goodlatte and their ranking democratic member on the committee, john conyers. we appreciate you coming together. so often, we report on how partisan groups are at odds. so we appreciate you. thank you to kimbriell kelly of the "washington post" and jesse holland from the associated press. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2016] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] today, secretary of state john kerry speaks about middle east challenges for the trump administration at the brookings institut