Advocates Push For Resurrection Of DoJ Civil Rights Division Under Biden

Police officers in Ferguson, Mo., during a protest in 2014. Advocates want the Justice Department to step up its oversight of law enforcement in the incoming administration.

Charlie Riedel / AP

Six months after Donald Trump became president, he delivered remarks about law enforcement that set the tone for civil rights.

In a speech to law enforcement officers on Long Island, Trump said: “Please don’t be too nice.” To applause from the crowd, the president added that it might not be necessary to protect the heads of suspects being folded into the back of police cars.

For former civil rights prosecutor Kristy Parker, those words marked a major turnaround.