>>> WELCOME BACK.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE NAME VAL

DEMINGS A LOT LATELY.

SHES A DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN

FROM ORLANDO, FLORIDA.

SHE BEGAN HER CAREER AS A SOCIAL

WORKER, BECAME A COP, AND ROSE

TO BECOME CHIEF OF THE ORLANDO

POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE FIRST

WOMAN TO DO SO.

SHE IS ALSO ON THE SHORT LIST OF

WOMEN JOE BIDEN IS REPORTEDLY

CONSIDERING AT HIS RUNNING MATE.

IN A COLUMN IN FRIDAYS

"WASHINGTON POST," SHE WROTE, AS

A FORMER WOMAN IN BLUE, LET ME

BEGIN WITH MY BROTHERS AND

SISTERS IN BLUE.

WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?

VAL DEMINGS JOINS ME NOW FROM

ORLANDO.

WELCOME TO "MEET THE PRESS."

AND LET ME START WITH SIMPLY

THIS.

WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH THIS CYCLE

BEFORE IN AMERICA, A LOT THIS

LAST DECADE.

AN INCIDENT LIKE THE ONE WITH

GEORGE FLOYD HAPPENS.

THERES OUTRAGE.

THE COUNTRY HAS SOME SORT OF

COLLECTIVE CONVERSATION ABOUT

RACE AND INEQUALITY, AND THEN

WHAT HAPPENS?

NOT MUCH CHANGES.

WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS THE

CASE?

AND IS THERE -- WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE POSSIBILITY OF

THINK IS THE POSSIBILITY OF

MAKING THIS TIME DIFFERENT?

>> WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE

AN AUDIO ISSUE HERE.

LETS SEE IF WE CAN FIX THAT

REALLY QUICK.

CONGRESSWOMAN, YOU MAY BE HEARING M

>>> AND WE ARE BACK WITH

>>> AND WE ARE BACK WITH

CONGRESSWOMAN VAL DEMINGS.

AND CONGRESSWUP, YOU HEARD MY

FIRST QUESTION THERE.

WERE ALL LIVING IN THIS NEW WAY

OF TRYING TO GET, MAKE

TELEVISION.

I THINK THE VIEWERS ARE VERY

PATIENT, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.

CONGRESSWOMAN DEMINGS, TO GET

BACK TO MY FIRST QUESTION SIMPLY

WAS, WE HAVE BEEN HERE BEFORE.

WELL HAVE THE CONVERSATION.

AND NOT A LOT CHANGES.

CAN YOU MAKE IT DIFFERENT THIS

TIME?

>> CHUCK, I REALLY DO BELIEVE

THAT WE CAN.

YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE

EXTRAORDINARY WORK THAT DR. KING

DID, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE CIVIL

RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THOSE WHO

WERE WITH HIM, LOOK AT WHERE WE

ARE.

IT IS AN EVER-CHANGING, EVER YOU

KNOW, COMMITMENT, THAT WE ALWAYS

HAVE TO MAKE TO DEAL WITH THE

SYSTEMIC RACISM IN OUR COUNTRY.

I THINK BEFORE, AS WE HAVE DEALT

WITH MISCONDUCT INVOLVING POLICE

OFFICERS, THAT WE HAVE ALWAYS

TRIED TO DEAL WITH IT AS AN

INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENT OR AN

INDIVIDUAL CITY OR AN INDIVIDUAL

STATE.

BUT I DO BELIEVE THE TIME HAS

CERTAINLY COME, WE ARE OVERDUE

FOR US TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AS

A NATION.

I THINK WE ALL NEED TO PAUSE,

AND EVERY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY

IN THIS NATION, WHETHER THEY ARE

TEN PERSONS OR 35,000 PERSONS,

NEED TO REVIEW THEIR HIRING

STANDARDS, THEIR TRAINING

STANDARDS, LOOK AT THEIR

DE-ESCALATION TRAINING THAT

THEYRE DOING WITHIN THE

DEPARTMENT, LOOK AT THOSE

OFFICERS WHO TRAIN OTHER

OFFICERS, BECAUSE WE KNOW OUR

TRAINING OFFICERS ARE THE ONES

WHO SET THE STANDARD FOR WHATS

ACCEPTABLE AND UNACCEPTABLE ON

THE STREET.

AND WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO WORK

WITH OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS TO

BUILD RELATIONSHIPS, TO FOSTER

TRUST.

AND WE DONT WAIT TO DO THAT

UNTIL WHEN WERE IN THE MIDDLE

OF A CRISIS.

WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO DO THAT

EVERY DAY.

AND I DO BELIEVE WE ARE LONG

OVERDUE FOR EVERY LAW

ENFORCEMENT AGENCY IN OUR NATION

TO REVIEW ITSELF AND COME OUT

BETTER THAN BEFORE.

>> LET ME ASK THIS.

IT DOES SEEM -- LOOK AT

MINNEAPOLIS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE PRAISED THE

POLICE CHIEF IN MINNEAPOLIS.

HE WAS BROUGHT IN AFTER THEY

HAD -- THEY HAVE HAD SOME ISSUES

IN THE PAST.

HE WAS BROUGHT IN TO INSTITUTE

THESE REFORMS.

BUT YOU HAVE DEALT WITH THIS AS

A CHIEF.

ITS VERY HARD, IF YOU HAVE GOT

A POLICE OFFICER THAT YOU THINK

ISNT ON -- ISNT GOOD IN

CERTAIN SITUATIONS, ITS VERY

HARD FOR YOU TO GET RID OF ONE

OF THOSE POLICE OFFICERS, IS IT

NOT?

>> LET ME SAY THIS, CHUCK.

AS YOU KNOW, I SPENT 27 YEARS AT

THE ORLANDO POLICE DEPARTMENT.

HAD THE HONOR OF SERVING AS THE

CHIEF OF POLICE.

I HAVE WORKED WITH SOME OF THE

BRIGHTEST, THE BEST, AND MOST

COURAGEOUS MEN AND WOMEN THAT

AMERICA HAS TO OFFER.

CERTAINLY, THEY WERE NOT ALL

THAT WAY.

BUT THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY

WERE.

AND SO I COMMEND THE CHIEF IN

MINNESOTA BECAUSE HE DID ONE

THING THAT I CERTAINLY THINK

HELPED TO BRING CHARGES AGAINST

ONE OFFICER.

WERE WAITING TO SEE OTHERS, BUT

THAT WAS TO IMMEDIATELY FIRE

THAT OFFICER, WHICH ALLOWED THE

CHIEF TO DO SOME THINGS THAT

OTHERWISE THEY WOULD NOT HAVE

BEEN ABLE TO DO.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, WHILE I KNOW

THAT IT SEEMED LIKE THE DAYS

THAT PASSED BEFORE THE OFFICER

WAS ARRESTED, IF YOU LOOK

HISTORICALLY, THAT WAS A PRETTY

SWIFT ARREST THAT WAS MADE.

AND SO I DO BELIEVE WORKING

COLLECTIVELY, EVERY SHERIFF,

EVERY POLICE CHIEF THROUGHOUT

THE NATION WORKING TOGETHER AND

FACING RACISM AND OTHER ISSUES

HEAD ON TO MAKE SURE WHAT ARE

THEY DEALING WITH IT.

IS IT A BAD MIND, A PERSONAL WHO

SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN A LAW

ENFORCEMENT OFFICER IN THE

BEGINNING, IS IT A BAD HEART?

BECAUSE YOU CERTAINLY HAVE TO

HAVE THE HEART FOR THIS JOB.

OR IS IT BAD POLICY?

AND WHILE I KNOW THE FEDERAL

GOVERNMENT DOES NOT HAVE DIRECT

JURISDICTION, I CERTAINLY

BELIEVE THAT WE DO HAVE A MAJOR

ROLE TO PLAY IN TERMS OF HELPING

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

THROUGHOUT THE NATION MAYBE COME

UP WITH SOME STANDARDS FOR

HIRING AND TRAINING, ESPECIALLY

USE OF FORCE TRAINING.

>> I WANT TO GO A LITTLE BIGGER

PICTURE HERE.

IN SOME WAYS, THE LAST THREE

MONTHS HAVE BEEN PARTICULARLY

HARD ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.

BUT PARTICULARLY THE

AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

YOU LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF THE

CORONAVIRUS ON HEALTH OUTCOMES,

IMPACT OF THE VIRUS ON THE

ECONOMIC PICTURE.

NOW THROW IN THREE MORE JUST

BRUTAL EXAMPLES OF RACIAL

INJUSTICE ON THE LAW ENFORCEMENT

FRONT.

IM REFERRING TO GEORGIA,

KENTUCKY, AND MINNESOTA IN

PARTICULAR.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR

GOVERNING GOING FORWARD?

CONGRESSMAN ANTHONY BROWN SAID

TO ME ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAS

TO CHANGE, YOU CANT HAVE

RACE-NEUTRAL POLICY RIGHT NOW.

THERE ACTUALLY HAS TO BE DIRECT

HELP, DIRECT AID TO

AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES TO

SORT OF FIX THESE INJUSTICES.

WHERE ARE YOU ON THIS?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, LETS THINK

ABOUT IT.

PRESIDENT JOHNSON LOOKED AT

POLICING, FOR EXAMPLE, IN

AMERICA OVER 50 YEARS AGO.

AND WHAT HE SAID, BASICALLY, IS

WHAT I JUST SAID.

HIRE THE BRIGHTEST AND THE BEST.

MAKE SURE THEYRE WELL TRAINED

AND THEY HAVE THE TOOLS TO DO AN

EFFECTIVE JOB AND WORK CLOSELY

WITH THE CITIZENS.

BUT HE ALSO SAID, BUT WE HAVE TO

ADDRESS THOSE SOCIAL ILLS THAT

CAUSE DECAY IN AFRICAN-AMERICAN

COMMUNITIES IN THE FIRST PLACE.

WE HAVE TO LOOK AT ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT.

WE HAVE TO LOOK AT JOBS.

WE HAVE TO LOOK AT WAGES.

WE HAVE TO LOOK AT EDUCATION.

AND YOU KNOW, SOME BELIEVE THAT,

YOU KNOW, IN ORDER TO BE FAIR,

IF YOU WILL, THAT YOU TREAT

COMMUNITIES THE SAME.

WELL, ITS NOT THAT SIMPLE.

UNLESS COMMUNITIES ALL START IN

THE SAME PLACE, AND WE KNOW

THATS NOT TRUE.

LOOK AT THE CORONAVIRUS.

ITS SOMETHING WE HAVE NEVER

SEEN BEFORE THAT REQUIRES US TO

DO SOME THINGS WE HAVE NEVER

DONE BEFORE.

BUT RACISM IN AMERICA AND THE

INJUSTICES THAT COMES WITH IT IS

NOTHING NEW.

AND SO WE HAVE TO GET SERIOUS

ABOUT, NUMBER ONE, ADMITTING

THERE IS AN ISSUE, AND NUMBER

TWO, WORKING TOGETHER, AND

CHUCK, IT CERTAINLY WOULD HELP

IF WE HAD LEADERSHIP AT THE TOP.

IF THERE WAS EVER A TIME WE NEED

LEADERSHIP IN THE WHITE HOUSE,

IT IS NOW TO HELP HEAL OUR

NATION.

BUT I DONT KNOW WHY I WOULD

EXPECT THIS PRESIDENT TO DO

SOMETHING THAT HE HAS NEVER DONE

BEFORE, AND WE HAVE NEVER SEEN

BEFORE.

>> ALL RIGHT, LET ME ASK THE

QUESTION THIS WAY ABOUT

PRESIDENT TRUMP.

IF HE CALLED YOU UP TONIGHT

AFTER WATCHING YOU HERE AND SAID

LOOK, HELP ME SAY SOMETHING TO

FIX THIS.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL HIM TO SAY?

>> I WOULD TELL HIM TO BEGIN

WITH SHOWING SOME COMPASSION FOR

THE PERSONS WHO THE FAMILIES

THAT HAVE LOST THEIR LOVED ONE.

LETS START THERE.

AND THEN CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT

AMERICA IS GREAT AND WONDERFUL

BECAUSE OF THE BEAUTIFUL

DIVERSITY THAT WE HAVE IN THIS

COUNTRY, THAT WE ARE A NATION OF

IMMIGRANTS.

WERE A NATION OF LAWS, WERE A

NATION OF IMMIGRANTS, AND WE

HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER.

AND LETS LOOK AT OUR HISTORY.

THIS COUNTRY HAS ALREADY SOLVED

SOME OF THE TOUGHEST ISSUES

BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO

COME TOGETHER AND WORK TOGETHER.