As demonstrations ignited by the death of African-American man George Floyd continue across the United States, Donald Trump on Wednesday (NZT) will sign an executive order relating to police reform.
Floyd died in late-May after a police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The incident sparked a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests erupted across the country and around the world. The shooting of Rayshard Brooks on Friday after a scuffle with police has only increased pressure on lawmakers to address issues within law enforcement. His family has called for "drastic change".
Already some states and cities have begun making reforms. Minneapolis - where Floyd died - has disbanded its police department in favour of a community-led system. New York has also passed legislation banning officers using chokeholds on suspects.
Now, President Trump is set to sign an executive order on Wednesday, which CNN reports will create a national certification system for law enforcement agencies and a database which could track incidents of excessive force by officers.
The media outlet also reports that it would direct the Health and Human Services Secretary to call on police departments to "embed mental health professionals in their response to calls related to mental health, homelessness and addiction".
It will acknowledge some officers misuse their authority and urge lawmakers to pass further legislation. Both the Democrats and Republicans are working on two Bills related to police reform.
CNN says the executive order is unlikely to ban chokeholds, despite Trump saying last week he didn't like them.
"I think it won’t surprise you it will talk about the role of law enforcement, making sure that people understand the role is to keep their communities safe and their neighborhoods protected, and that we don’t want to cast aspersions over an entire industry," Trump's counselor Kellyanne Conway told Fox News.
Democrats revealed their legislation last week. Among other things, it would ban chokeholds and require the use of body cameras by officers. Republicans' legislation will be unveiled this week, it's reported.
