Biden Calls 1994 Crime Bill A Mistake But Still Believes More Cops Mean Less Crime

Joe Biden was asked about his support of the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act during his ABC town hall.

Joe Biden acknowledged that his support for a crime bill from 1994 was a mistake during his ABC town hall Thursday night.

The Former Vice President was asked whether supporting the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was a mistake, to which he responded, "Yes, it was. But here’s where the mistake came. The mistake came in terms of what the states did locally."

Biden then went on to note how the bill was supported by the Congressional Black Caucus and Black mayors across America at the time, before going on to add that racial justice issues "have changed drastically" since then. The Democratic presidential nominee also spoke on his plan for community-driven police reform, which includes a “national study group” that will bring together police representatives and community leaders from Black communities to reform law enforcement.

"We shouldn’t be defunding police officers," Biden said. "We should be mandating the things that we should be doing within police departments."

Following the question about the 1994 crime bill, Biden was asked if he still believes that more police means less crime.

"Yes, if in fact they're involved in community policing and not jump squads," he said.

In related news, Biden recently launched a battle rap ad in an attempt to capture the attention of Black voters. Titled the "Ultimate Rap League Biden Get Out The Vote Battle Rap," the video features DNA and Charlie Clips having a robust conversation in the style of a rap battle.