Just one week after I joined President Donald J. Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Attorney General William Barr for a discussion on policing in America, the President took meaningful action to strengthen the trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. I was honored to be among those at the White House again this week as President Trump signed the executive order aimed at increasing accountability, transparency and the resources law enforcement officers need to help them more effectively protect their communities.

As Florida’s Attorney General, a former federal prosecutor, a former judge and the wife of a law enforcement officer, I am grateful to work with President Trump on these extremely important issues. I am also honored to serve on the President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice—alongside Attorney General Barr and law enforcement leaders from across our country.

The President’s Commission has been meeting all year to find solutions to challenges law enforcement officers across the nation face every day. They confront societal challenges, including homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse, and other social factors that influence crime and strain criminal justice resources.

As a Commission, we are also looking for ways to improve in the areas of hiring, recruitment, training and retention. Some of these improvements need to be addressed more urgently than others, and I am pleased that President Trump’s executive order includes some of the changes the Commission has already been discussing.

Like the President said during the signing ceremony, “In order to make real progress on public safety, we have to break old patterns of failure.” These changes are just the first step. As your Attorney General, I am dedicated to continuing to work in this area to seek thoughtful and effective changes to better the lives of our citizens, support law enforcement in this mission and build a stronger, safer Florida.