Prosecutors and law enforcement agencies say civil forfeiture empowers them to take the fruits of crime and use some of the proceeds to further other investigations. But critics say that creates conflicts of interest – and may even violate the state constitution.

Sessions touted Project Safe Neighborhoods, an effort to target the highest crime areas in the country, which includes a recent focus in Indianapolis and Evansville.

The bipartisan legislation, authored by Indiana Senators Joe Donnelly and Todd Young, cleared the U.S. Senate with a unanimous vote.

Legislation introduced by Joe Donnelly and Todd Young would include resources to train mental health providers on the specific challenges officers face.

Republican state Rep. Wendy McNamara of Evansville says she "couldn't sit on the sidelines while our law enforcement officers were being threatened."

In the letter, the president mourns the deaths of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge and thanks all law enforcement officers for their service. "We appreciate it, and we depend on you," he writes.

State police say more than 250 Indiana law enforcement agencies will take part in the crackdown that begins Friday and runs through March 27.

The bill, which passed the House last month, would give agencies discretion, but would also allow a person to seek a court order if they're able to prove releasing the footage would not cause harm and is in the public interest.

House Republicans rejected an amendment Monday that would have made it easier for the public to claim access to police body camera videos.

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson says she hopes the three-year initiative will help residents in her struggling city to feel closer to the police force, "and not view them as kind of a separate entity that imposes on them."