As part of a comprehensive public safety plan announced on Tuesday that calls for stronger sanctions against drug traffickers found to be responsible for deaths in Kentucky, Republican candidate for governor Daniel Cameron suggested paying recruiting and retention bonuses to strengthen police forces.
The state’s attorney general, Cameron, has suggested mandating that anyone found guilty of killing a police officer face the death penalty. In order to assist with investigations into drug- and gang-related criminality, he promised to collaborate with lawmakers to adopt a wiretapping law. And he promised to work for a separate carjacking statute to combat a crime he claimed was on the rise in Kentucky’s urban areas.
Ultimately, Cameron wants to make Kentucky “the best place in America to be a police officer,” according to a press release from his campaign sent before a news conference on Tuesday. In one of the most carefully watched elections in American history, Cameron will take on Democratic Governor Andy Beshear in 2023.
Public safety was described by Cameron as the “first responsibility of the government.”
“These initiatives directly address the rise of crime, drug trafficking and overdoses, and the need to retain and recruit officers in our state,” Cameron said in the release. “I believe they will have a direct impact on the safety of our citizens and the morale of our law enforcement.”
Regarding police accountability, Cameron said that civilian review bodies shouldn’t have the right to issue subpoenas.
The issue of public safety has become more prominent in Kentucky’s governor election.
At a gathering last month, Beshear bragged about his success in combating crime, emphasising that he had worked to get state troopers significant pay hikes and more training for police officers. Beshear said that during his tenure as attorney general, he successfully prosecuted child sex offenders, finished up the backlog of rape kits, and stopped elder frauds. If he wins reelection in November, the governor said he would push for more money for police training and body armour to protect law enforcement.
Cameron answered on Tuesday with a thorough plan of his own to fight crime and assist law police. A $5,000 recruitment and retention bonus for police enforcement would be developed, according to the Republican contender, and would be included in the first budget he delivers to lawmakers if elected.
Cameron argued that Kentucky should take the lead from other states and permit the filing of murder charges against drug traffickers who promote deadly drugs.
Cameron argued for the inclusion of constitutional safeguards and judicial review processes in a state-wide wiretapping statute to help fight drug cartels and gang activity.
Another suggestion in Cameron’s plan is to alter the state parole board to raise the required number of votes for an inmate’s release and to give the governor the authority to remove board members. And he wants to mandate DNA testing for those detained for the most serious felonies, while also implementing safeguards that instantly delete DNA upon conviction or dismissal of the charges.
