communication. >> charter is proud to be recognized as one of the best internet providers. we are just getting started. building 100,000 miles of new infrastructure to reach those who need it most. >> charter communications, supports c-span as a public servic along with these other television providers. giving you a front row seat to democracy. " continues. host: the former florida congresswoman val demings joins us for a discussion on race. explain the mission of this project you were working on now and how you got involved. guest: good morning, good morning to your listeners. it's good to be back with you. this is work through the national police institute that has gone on for two years.

we initially thought it would be about three months but we realized that there was so much that we needed to look at and it was research-based which is a good thing and involves law enforcement but also social service representatives and i believe over the last two years, we did some good work. we have some problems. i spent 27 years in law enforcement. i work with some of the bravest, most courageous most compassionate men and women but we have had some foul ups and over the last two or three years since the death of george floyd, the focus has been on police reform. we've been around for about 50 years in the mission has always been to look at policing and race. the group came together and we looked at policies and

procedures and standards. we looked at community-based programs that can certainly help reduce crime and we looked at the safety in a more holistic way and public safety is not just the responsibility of the police, but it takes a community to be involved and keep us all safe. and to build stronger communities. i know that's what we all want. host: congresswoman val demings is joining us on the same day that on the op-ed pages the washington post, you can hear her column where police leaders must reform themselves and she will talk about that this morning with us for about the next 35 minutes or so and the phone lines to call in -- we have all seen the tyre

nichols videos with several different videos of what's been released so far. what stands out to you and what's your reaction? guest: as a 27 year law enforcement officer and chief of police, someone who worked as a social worker before becoming a police officer, i saw the video and it was shocking and appalling. i think that every good person, every decent person, every good and decent police officer and police executive should see the video as shocking and appalling i've had an opportunity to review footage and go back and look at what happened and what was the purpose for the stop and what occurred and what to the

person who wished up do to dictate the police. that's what we always did as police. it's the response of police and i have looked and i know the investigation is ongoing but the videos pretty clear and we should not ask anyone to not police. the video was pretty clear that this was a night that went off the rails. i have not been able -- i know the police chief is to looking and reviewing and still trying to find the justification for the stop in the first place. i have not been able to see any justification for the stop. this is a tough subject but we got to get this right. what happened to tyre nichols and his family and his community, every decent person, we got to come together and put

processes and programs in place and legislation that can prevent things like this from happening again. host: the headline we are seeing today is the seventh officer linked to the tyre nichols investigation is relieved of duty and as you talked about, the specialized unit are receiving a lot of attention in the wake of these videos being released. why do we have the specialized policing units, what's their purpose and should departments have these kind of units? guest: i had specialized units in the orlando police department. when i was appointed chief we had an all-time high in the murder rate in orlando. the citizens of orlando wanted the police to do something about it we had specialized units as well. their purpose was to target the

worst of the worst, the gang members, the drug dealers, those who committed gun violence in the worse of the worst and we have a list and we knew who they were. the specialized units target the worst of the worst behavior. it's something that discipline is appreciated because they wanted crime reduced especially violent crimes in their communities. i remember getting calls from our seniors and retirees who lived in certain neighborhoods and said they were tired of going to church and having to go through the drug dealers to get to church. they were tired of seeing their grandchildren walked to the bus stop and being accosted by drug dealers so everyone, regardless of who they are, everyone deserves to live in safe and secure communities. i had a specialized unit that i had to disband.

the departments have a certain mission and certain policies and procedures but we have also seen that within some specialized units, while the department culture is one of safety and service, those specialized units can develop their own toxic culture. i certainly had to disband one of our units. specialized units are for a purpose but for the right reasons. we have to have the most highly trained, highly seasoned officers within those units. you have to be sure you're giving proper supervision. one thing that is important is its high risk and high stress and you have to rotate the men and women within those specialized units on a regular basis. host: memphis was the so-called scorpion unit.

they were created in late 2021 and shut down saturday, day after the police chief there defended it. on calls for reform, a lot of focus on the george floyd justice and policing act that passed the house last congress and did not pass the senate. what does that do in if that had been passed, is there anything in that that would have prevented what happened here? guest: i was disappointed that the george floyd justice in policing act stalled in the u.s. senate. it's not perfect legislation. we all know that. i certainly didn't think it was perfect. there were some areas that i didn't necessarily agree with. but we needed to do something. legislation seldom protects

anyone and with developing national standards, that will help give police departments the tools they need. we have over 18,000 law enforcement agencies in our country. god bless the men and women who do the job right every day. it is a tough job. we have police department's that are 36000 and as few as 10 or less than that. i believe developments of national standards in terms of hiring and training, in terms of the proper use of what meant especially those coming from the federal government are good things. modifying policies -- hiring the brightest and the best. we know we have to have men and women who have the temperament for the job. giving police departments initial funding or whatever it takes to expand their scope to have -- to hire people that have the right temperament.

giving our men and women the training, we know they have different training budgets. the george floyd policing act would have provided a standard minimize -- minimum training and it would've given them the tools to protect themselves but to better be able to protect members of the community. policies like chokeholds and no-knock warrants, we had a policy that said you cannot strike a person above the shoulders unless you were justified in using deadly force. that's because a strike above the shoulders can cause death or great bodily harm. in memphis, we saw in the video

with their own eyes where officers kicked tyre nichols in the head, they punched him in the face, they beat him with the baton and they sprayed him and tased him. modifying those policies and having a national database were one police number dish police officer was fired from one agency, maybe even in another state that they could not with just cause simply cross state lines or go on the other side of town and apply and get hired at another agency. and then increasing accountability. good police officers are not afraid of that. increase accountability. it's a good thing. bad officers know that they are going to be held accountable and pay the consequences for bad behavior, our hope is that that is this will improve performance

and interaction. the george floyd justice in policing act was not perfect that it was a step in the right direction that's why we saw it pass in the house but there is not much of an appetite unfortunately in congress. there is not much of an appetite to protect members of congress who have been threatened. that's what i believe is important for my brothers and sisters in the police to step up and take matters into their own hands. after george floyd, i got on the phone and called several police executives and said you don't want the federal government telling you what to do him a look internally and take action to modify your own policies, many of them did that. many did not and look where we are today. we've got to do something, this cannot continue to happen. host: our guest is former congresswoman val demings

involved in police reform. you can check out police reform.org. we have many calls from you and we will start in illinois, christina, line for democrats. caller: good morning. i have a quick question -- do they ever test these officers? i am blind but i heard what was going on and to me it sounded like a pack of wild cackles. maybe testosterone and the rates from steroids -- and the rage from steroids might be a problem, what do you think of that? guest: thank you for your question. whenever a person of authority uses authority in a horrific way and certainly when it results in the death of any individual, i

would call any of them a while? . i also -- a wilds? . -- a wild jackal. we have to make sure we are hiring the right people to do the job. there are a lot of applications to go through to get 20 get them best people in the ranks. i also believe the recruitment process and hiring process should involve psychological evaluation. we cannot just stop there. i remember one of the first bills i supported in congress was the law and worsen on this