5th District Congresswoman Jahana Hayes opposes defunding the police.  She instead called for implementation of greater training, accountability, and transparency to ensure that police forces sworn to protect communities have the needed resources.  Hayes also called for addressing the underlying, structural inequalities which expose communities to police violence. 

She clarified that The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 does not defund the police, rather holds law enforcement accountable by giving American citizens recourse if they believe there has been a violation.  The legislation leverages access to existing federal funding by conditioning it upon increased training, banning practices like chokeholds and no-knock warrants, limiting use of force, and requiring public reporting when force is used. 

Hayes, who is married to a Waterbury Police Detective, says these measures protect both the members of our community and the police who serve them.