This week, I joined President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, U.S. Attorney General William Barr and law enforcement leaders from across our country at the White House for a discussion on policing. As Florida’s Attorney General, a former federal prosecutor, judge and wife of a law enforcement officer, this is an issue that is close to my heart—both personally and professionally.

The discussion at the White House, as well as the discussions that are happening right now publicly in our streets and privately in our homes, are extremely important. What happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis deeply disturbed me. I stood with Florida’s law enforcement community in condemning the senseless murder. The actions of that officer were criminal, and I think every law-abiding citizen in our country from Florida to Hawaii agrees that he should face justice.

But we cannot let what happened in Minnesota taint the hard work and daily sacrifices of the vast majority of our nation’s law enforcement heroes. These are the men and women who rush into danger as the rest of us flee. They catch murderers, take deadly drugs off our streets, and as we saw just this week in Tampa, deliver babies in emergencies. They feed the homeless, mentor disadvantaged youth and rescue overdose victims. They are our neighbors, our church members, even our relatives. They do a job many are too afraid to do.

As your Attorney General, I am dedicated to working with law enforcement officials, community leaders and our President to see how we can improve in this area—so the promise of fairness and justice under the law is ensured and our communities trust the institutions committed to protecting them.

During our conversation at the White House this week, we discussed ways to achieve this goal and develop the best policing practices in our states and across the nation. This discussion is just the beginning.

It isn’t always easy to make meaningful change, and it isn’t always comfortable, but nothing worth doing is ever easy. I expect hard conversations in our future, but Americans are tough and resilient. We will find a way forward by seeking thoughtful and effective improvements to better the lives of all Americans—strengthening our criminal justice system and building a Stronger, Safer Florida.