Senator JD Vance and Governor Tim Walz spoke about school shootings during Tuesday night’s debate.

Alex Kent/Getty Images

Hide caption

Toggle label

Alex Kent/Getty Images

During Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke forcefully about the need for gun control while also answering a question about preventing school shootings.

In his response, Ohio Senator JD Vance, however, spoke of increasing police presence in schools and spoke of the need to “arrest the bad guys, lock them up and take offenders off the streets.”

The answers illustrate the two candidates’ different philosophies regarding law and order and ensuring public safety in the country.

On the campaign trail and in his career on Capitol Hill, Vance has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of police, introducing a resolution in Congress last year Supporting law enforcement.

Some important context: In 2022, the City Council in Washington, DC passed a comprehensive police reform lawwhich, among other things, banned neck restraints, increased access to footage from officers’ body-worn cameras, increased officer training, and further restricted when and how officers use force.

In response — and because Congress ultimately has legislative control of the nation’s capital — Vance introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives, which would have killed the reforms. In his comments on the resolution, which did not pass, Vance said described the reforms as obstructive officers with “these ridiculous exhaustion requirements before they can use deadly force to protect themselves and those around them.”

Although Vance used to describe himself A “never Trump guy,” he is now a loyal supporter of the former president, who has also positioned himself as a tough-on-crime candidate. In fact, That’s what the Republican platform promises this year “Filling up” police departments, defying “Marxist” prosecutors, and protecting officers from “frivolous” lawsuits. As President Trump The administration withdrew about the lawsuit against police authorities for violating civil rights.

Walz’s record on police work is quite different. In the years since a police officer murdered George Floyd in Minneapolis, Gov signed legally a series of police reforms in the state, including a ban on chokeholds, “warrior-style” police training and requiring officers to intervene if another officer uses excessive force.

In the days following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020, demonstrations erupted across the city.

Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Hide caption

Toggle label

Angela Weiss/Getty Images

Under Walz, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights A consent decree was also negotiated with the city following Floyd’s death, with the goal of reforming the police department and increasing accountability. He rejected a measure in 2021 to replace the Minneapolis Police Department with a new public safety agency, which many saw as an attempt to defund the city’s police force.

After Harris chose Walz as her vice president, the Republican National Committee was elected make a statement He called the pair “weak on crime, depriving police liberals of money.” Specifically, they claimed that Walz “let the rioters burn down the Twin Cities.” Vance also directed this criticism at Walz.

In the days following Floyd’s killing, demonstrations broke out across the city. After dark, some protests turned violent, with people damaging property and setting buildings on fire.

A demonstrator stands in front of the police line during a protest over the death of George Floyd on May 31, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

Hide caption

Toggle label

Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images

In response, Walz deployed the Minnesota National Guard and the State Patrol to help the Minneapolis police respond to unrest in the city. But the public’s reaction to his answer was mixed in the years since: Conservatives have claimed Walz was too slow to act, while some liberals have said he was not progressive enough in his response.

Two days after Floyd’s death, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey called on Walz to call in the National Guard to assist police. Initially, Walz and his government said they did not want to further inflame tensions with a deployment of National Guardsmen and state troops. Back then Walz said he was waiting that Frey asks for help before sending in the National Guard.

A day later, Walz deployed an initial group of National Guard members to support police throughout the region. That night, protesters broke into the third police precinct in Minneapolis and set it on fire.

Frey said about the crisis asked for help and that the governor acted too late. A City audit later discovered that Frey did not consult with the appropriate department to request National Guard soldiers, which may have delayed their arrival, and provided inadequate information about where the city needed support. Walz said at the time: “If the point was that the state should have acted faster, then that’s on me.”