After Des Moines Black Lives Matter tweeted out support for defunding police, as well as abolishing police and prisons, The Iowa Standard contacted the campaign of each person running for federal or state legislative office in Iowa.
Congresswoman Cindy Axne responded:
“I do not support abolishing or defunding law enforcement. They play a vital role in our society, and I’ve been in touch with the Des Moines Police Department directly to discuss how we can ensure that vital role is matched with an assurance that our officers are held to the highest standard of conduct. Here in Iowa, we know that peaceful demonstrations and activism inspired important steps of reform to ensure misconduct is not ignored by our departments. And we passed similar legislation in the House earlier this year to hold law enforcement accountable for their actions and ensure they’re not hurting those they’re meant to protect.”
