In a speech made this week, Donald Trump said that anyone convicted of taking the life of a police officer should receive the death penalty.

These comments were made on Wednesday at Capitol Hill, where he made a speech during the National Peace Officers' Memorial Day service - an event that honours those in law enforcement that have died in the line of duty. While he had no specific policy to roll out with regards to the declarations made, his comments were warmly received by the crowds.

“The ambushes and attacks on our police must end, and they must end right now,” Trump said.

“We believe that criminals who murder police officers should immediately, but with trial, get the death penalty. But quickly. The trial should go fast. It’s got to be fair, but it’s got to go fast.”

Trump has made similar claims in the past, and the choice of death penalty for those who have killed police officers was even included as part of his campaign promises in 2016.

At the time he proposed that he would issue an executive order stating that "anybody killing policemen, policewomen, police officer, anybody killing a police officer, death penalty is going to happen."

Last year, when speaking to law enforcement officers in Florida, he said that “reducing crime begins with respecting law enforcement” and suggested that “criminals who kill our police officers should immediately, with trial, but rapidly as possible, not 15 years later, 20 years later – get the death penalty.”

In 2019, 18 police officers in the U.S. were shot and killed in the line of duty, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. This figure seems to show a decline from 2018, in which 63 officers were killed in the first five months of the year 160 officers died in total.

In a speech made this week, Donald Trump said that anyone convicted of taking the life of a police officer should receive the death penalty.

These comments were made on Wednesday at Capitol Hill, where he made a speech during the National Peace Officers' Memorial Day service - an event that honours those in law enforcement that have died in the line of duty. While he had no specific policy to roll out with regards to the declarations made, his comments were warmly received by the crowds.

“The ambushes and attacks on our police must end, and they must end right now,” Trump said.

“We believe that criminals who murder police officers should immediately, but with trial, get the death penalty. But quickly. The trial should go fast. It’s got to be fair, but it’s got to go fast.”

Trump has made similar claims in the past, and the choice of death penalty for those who have killed police officers was even included as part of his campaign promises in 2016.

At the time he proposed that he would issue an executive order stating that "anybody killing policemen, policewomen, police officer, anybody killing a police officer, death penalty is going to happen."

Last year, when speaking to law enforcement officers in Florida, he said that “reducing crime begins with respecting law enforcement” and suggested that “criminals who kill our police officers should immediately, with trial, but rapidly as possible, not 15 years later, 20 years later – get the death penalty.”

In 2019, 18 police officers in the U.S. were shot and killed in the line of duty, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. This figure seems to show a decline from 2018, in which 63 officers were killed in the first five months of the year 160 officers died in total.