US Rep. Cindy Axne faces pushback for policing bills at West Des Moines town hall

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

WEST DES MOINES — U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne met resistance at a West Des Moines town hall this week as she tried to promote a pair of bills that would direct federal resources to rural and suburban police departments and support police recruitment efforts.

A small group of activists with the Des Moines Black Liberation Movement booed as she began to discuss the Pathways to Policing Act and the Invest to Protect Act, two bills Axne said she helped introduce in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The protesters shouted criticisms, arguing that Axne is being too deferential to police who they said have been harmful forces in many communities.

Axne tried to carry on through a question-and-answer session but ended the event after answering just three questions from the audience amid continued heckling.

More: President Joe Biden praises Cindy Axne in Iowa: 'You're doing one heck of a job'

“It just, to me, buys into too much of what's happening in this country right now, which is people who aren't willing to look at the information and absorb it but just want to start an ideological fight,” Axne said after the event. “And that's a sad place.”

Des Moines BLM posted video of some of their exchange with Axne on Twitter.

"(Axne) thinks that supporting Black communities means recruiting more Black police officers,” they wrote. “Black police officers do not keep us safe. The police do not keep us safe.”

Axne is seeking reelection in November to Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. The winner of a June 7 Republican primary race will take her on in what is expected to be one of the most closely contested House races in the country.

Axne is one of only a handful of Democrats to win in a district that former Republican President Donald Trump also carried. To do so again, she’ll likely need to attract independent voters and appeal across party lines.

Already, she faces heat from Republicans who try to lump her in with other Democrats who’ve advocated for defunding the police entirely. But the demonstrators at her town hall also show the pressure she could face on the left as some liberals push for greater accountability after many high-profile instances of police brutality.

Axne said that’s why she supports these two bills — because they “straddle the line” between both camps.

“They are about making sure that there are resources for police officers, but much of those resources are to be used for things that will help with better community policing and more engagement with the community,” she said.

The Pathways to Policing Act would provide $50 million to the Department of Justice and $50 million for local and state-based recruitment campaigns. According to a news release, the campaigns will focus on recruiting members of traditionally underrepresented communities into law enforcement careers.

More: A fired-up mom, a zealous farmer, a military veteran: Who will win the GOP nod for Iowa's 3rd District?

Axne said that it’s important for police units to reflect the communities they serve, and she argued this bill could help attract a more diverse police force.

The Invest to Protect Act would direct $250 million over the next five years to law enforcement agencies with fewer than 200 full-time officers. It would create grants to help provide resources and training for departments in rural and suburban areas. Axne said it would help to encourage better community policing and community engagement.

Both bills have received bipartisan support, and Iowa’s Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley has supported the Invest to Protect Act in the Senate.

“As crime rates soar, we need to empower police by providing them with needed protection and resources so they can do their jobs safely and effectively — especially since dangerous anti-law enforcement rhetoric has demoralized police forces across the country,” he said in a statement earlier this month.

The activists pushed back against Axne, saying police departments should be defunded and the money should be reallocated to crisis and mental health response teams.

Axne responded that the two bills do not increase funding, but set aside money within existing grants so that smaller departments can access it.

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Axne faces pushback over policing bills at West Des Moines town hall