Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 13 augusT 2019

In a Wednesday, July 24, 2019 file photo, U.S. Census Bureau
director Steven Dillingham testifies before the House Oversight
subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Associated Press
United States Attorney General William Barr, waves to the crowd, after addressing the Grand 40,000 census

Lodge Fraternal Order of Police's 64th National Biennial Conference at the Ernest N. Morial Con-
vention Center on Convention Blvd. in New Orleans, La. Monday, Aug. 12, 2019. Associated Press workers start verifying

Barr defends police, takes swipe addresses next week

at progressive prosecutors By MIKE SCHNEIDER to add a citizenship ques-
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — tion to the 2020 Census
Starting this month, an questionnaire. Civil rights
WASHINGTON (AP) — At- ing punks." president's conservative army of 40,000 U.S. Census groups still worry that the
torney General William Barr That hardline stance, how- political base. In his speech, Bureau workers equipped legal fight over the ques-
staunchly defended the ever, puts Barr at odds Barr praised federal pros- with laptops will fan out to tion will cause immigrants
work of law enforcement with today's criminal jus- ecutors who have brought neighborhoods around the and others to hesitate fill-
Monday — promising to tice reformers. While the more cases against violent country to verify and up- ing out their census forms.
push for new legislation to tough-on-crime thinking criminals and drug dealers date addresses in prepa- The census results are used
swiftly carry out the death was common among law in an effort to curb the opi- ration for the largest head to distribute federal funds
penalty for suspects who enforcement officials in oid epidemic. But he add- count in United States his- and decide how many U.S.
commit mass shootings or the early 1990s — as the ed that more needs to be tory next spring. representatives each state
kill police officers, while national violent crime rate done, saying that most of The verification of ad- gets.
also taking aim at prosecu- peaked —many in the the illegal drugs being traf- dresses is the most labor- The method used by cen-
tors who "style themselves criminal justice field now ficked into the U.S. are be- intensive component of sus workers is changing this
as 'social justice' reformers." favor rehabilitation instead ing brought in by Mexican the bureau's preparations year: In years past, listers
Barr, who had a tough-on- of incarceration. drug organizations and this year for the 2020 count. walked every block of ev-
crime approach in his pre- President Donald Trump other transnational gangs. The workers known as "list- ery street in the nation to
vious stint as the nation's has pushed efforts to over- "Obviously, the head of the ers" will cover about a third make sure the physical ad-
chief law enforcement haul the criminal justice snake is outside the United of the nation's physical dresses matched what was
officer in the early 1990s, system, often touting bipar- States," he said. "We must area. The Census Bureau on their lists. For this year's
lauded efforts to keep tisan legislation he signed destroy these cartels." conducts a count of every head count, workers are
chronic offenders behind last year that gives judges Barr took a hard swing U.S. resident every 10 years. verifying around two-thirds
bars with long sentences. more discretion in sentenc- at prosecutors who don't "We're moving later this of the addresses from their
In his speech to the Frater- ing and eases mandatory embrace the same tough- month into the full-fledged office computers.
nal Order of Police confer- minimum sentences. At the on-crime stance. He said national canvassing effort," Using aerial imagery, work-
ence in New Orleans, he same time, the president appointing such progres- Steven Dillingham, director ers are looking for blocks
said that helped seriously has been an ardent de- sive district attorneys is of the U.S. Census Bureau, where there has been sig-
cut down violent crime. He fender of police — once "demoralizing to law en- said Monday at a news nificant growth or decline,
also said the government telling officers in a speech forcement and dangerous conference in Washington where there are multiple
must have "zero tolerance" they shouldn't "be too nice" to public safety" because that was livestreamed. instances of an address or
for suspects who resist the to suspects they arrest — they "spend their time un- The start of the address ver- when an address is missing.
police and denounced and has a long history of dercutting the police, let- ifying comes a month after They will then send listers
protesters who threw water advocating for the death ting criminals off the hook, President Donald Trump to those blocks to double
on New York City police a penalty. Those positions and refusing to enforce the announced his administra- check for accuracy or get
few weeks ago as "pranc- tend to popular with the law."q tion would no longer seek updated information.q