Agenda47 on crime: Trump proposes death-penalty for drug dealers, requiring stop and frisk

Former president Donald Trump 's acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention covered a lot of territory, but left out several of his policy objectives for a potential second term .

Agenda47 is Trump's official campaign platform for the 2024 election. It is separate from the oft-mentioned Project 2025 , but proposes conservative ideas on education, immigration and crime.

" Joe Biden and the ‘Defund the Police’ Democrats have turned our once great cities into cesspools of bloodshed and crime," Trump says in an Agenda47 video .

A recent report by nonpartisan think tank Council on Criminal Justice shows violent crime in U.S. cities has largely fallen back to 2019 levels, before the pandemic and civil unrest contributed to a spike in crime. CCJ CEO and president Adam Gelb says there are three factors to consider in assessing how effective a policy might be in deterring crime from happening in the first place:

"It's about certainty, swiftness and severity," Gelb said, explaining that severity undercuts certainty and swiftness. "If we put anywhere near as much energy into increasing certainty and swiftness as we do into increasing severity, we'd be much safer, and I think fairer too."

Here is a look at some of Trump's policy proposals to address crime in the U.S.

'I'm not going to be nice:' Donald Trump launches all-out attack on Kamala Harris

Invest in police officers

"President Trump will sign a record investment in hiring, retention, and training for police officers. The bill will increase vital liability protections for America’s law enforcement officers."

• How we got here: Police budgets are largely controlled by local governments, but the federal government does issue grants . The police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020 sparked racial justice protests and raised the visibility of a controversial movement to " defund the police ." Lawmakers failed to agree on a police accountability bill in 2021, but in 2022, Biden issued an executive order establishing an accountability database, reforming civil rights violations prosecution and requiring body-worn cameras for federal law enforcement.
• In today's context: Research shows hiring police officers is one of the most cost-effective measures in adult criminal justice policies, but departments are struggling to hire and retain police officers. Support for " defunding the police" waned quickly after the 2020 protests, even as the majority of the supporters only opted for redistributing budgets towards social community programs . Many advocates say still want police reform to address racial disparities in policing.

Requiring stop and frisk

"President Trump will require local law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ grants to return to proven policing measures such as stop-and-frisk, strictly enforcing existing gun laws, cracking down on the open use of illegal drugs, and cooperating with ICE to arrest and deport criminal aliens."

• Policy evolution in U.S.: The " Terry Stop," is based on the 1968 case Terry v. Ohio, which ruled police can stop and pat down someone without probable cause for arrest if they believe the person is armed. In 2013, stop and frisk in New York was found to disproportionately target Black and Latino New Yorkers , and a federal judge ruled it violated their constitutional rights. Trump also suggested stop and frisk for Chicago in a 2018 speech . Gelb said requiring local police departments to implement the policy would to be a dramatic expansion of federal power over police governance.
• In today's context: Limited searches can help uncover illegal guns, Gelb said. For example, Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker has not ruled it out as a tool to combatting gun violence in the city, The Trace reported . The American Civil Liberties Union, which has reached settlements with several cities to limit stop-and-frisk, says it is ineffective, disproportionately used against people of color, decreases community trust in police and leads to people of color reporting crimes less often.

Death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers

"President Trump will instruct the Department of Justice to dismantle every gang, street crew, and drug network in America. President Trump has also called for the death penalty for drug dealers and human traffickers."

• Policy evolution in the U.S: Twenty-one states in the U.S. have the death penalty, 23 do not have the death penalty, and six have put executions on hold. After a 2008 Supreme Court case held that the death penalty should only be used for the worst offenses, no one is on death row for a crime other than murder, according to the Death Penalty Information Center . Still, the U.S. is in the global minority of countries that use the ultimate punishment .
• In today's context: The U.S. is in a decade-long overdose epidemic that is currently largely driven by fentanyl and other substances. The DPIC reported 24 executions in 2023 , compared to more than 18,900 drug trafficking cases in the same year that were reported to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, which studies federal sentencing practices.

Target 'Marxist' courts without cash bail

"President Trump will take on the radical Marxist prosecutors who have abolished cash bail and refuse to charge criminals."

• Policy evolution in the U.S.: A 2022 report showed 60% of people awaiting trial were in jail because they could not afford bail, but the solution is highly debated. Advocates of removing the cash bail system say it creates disparities in the criminal justice system because low-income defendants may have to wait behind bars for their trial, arguing instead that pre-trial detention should be based on risk to the community. Others believe cash bail is necessary to keep some skin in the game for defendants to show up for court proceedings.
• In today's context: New Jersey moved away from a monetary bail system in 2017 . In the last few years, a court decision in California has curtailed the traditional role of bail, and some cities have worked on further reforms. In 2023, Illinois became the first state to abolish cash bail .

Disciplining minors

"President Trump will order the Education and Justice Departments to overhaul federal standards on disciplining minors...Many of these carjackers and criminals are 13, 14, and 15 years old. I will order the Education and Justice Departments to overhaul federal standards on disciplining minors. So, when troubled youth are out of control, they're out on the streets and they're going wild, we will stop it. The consequences are swift, certain and strong and they will know that."

• Policy evolution in the U.S.: According to a 2022 Department of Justice report, juvenile arrests for violent crimes have been on the decline since 2006. Evidence shows harsh punishment does not stop youth crime, and juvenile detention centers are often harmful places to be for youth, according to criminal justice advocacy group the Sentencing Project .
• In today's context: Earlier this year, Louisiana repealed a 2017 law known as "Raise the Age," so that 17-year-old can be tried as young adults again. The move was a splashy part of a special legislative session on crime by the state's newly elected Gov. Jeff Landry .

Contributing: Patrick M. Keck, Thao Nguyen , Tami Abdollah, Aamer Madhani, Amanda Lee Myers, Ken Alltucker, Mabinty Quarshie , N'dea Yancey-Bragg , Bart Jansen, Savannah Behrmann, Sarah Elbeshbishi, Mabinty Quarshie

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Agenda47 on crime: Trump proposes death-penalty for drug dealers, requiring stop and frisk