By JM Rieger and Todd Ruger

At a Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday, Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski pressed Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the need for improved relations between law enforcement and communities following the deaths of black men in incidents with police officers. Mikulski asked Lynch whether lawmakers should require mandatory training for officers on ethnic and racial bias and use of force before providing grant money to law enforcement agencies. “In other words, in order to get the money, you have to take the training,” Mikulski said. Lynch, however, said the Justice Department acts as an important tool for compliance with federal and community standards. “We would not use that as a barrier to the grant program, but rather as an incentive to work with us and gain training on use-of-force policies,” Lynch said.