Minnesota U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald was appointed to a new commission created by President Donald Trump to study issues facing American law enforcement.

Trump created the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice through an executive order in October. In Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Attorney General William Barr named MacDonald to the 18-member board, which Barr said reflects "the best there is in law enforcement."

"There is no more noble and important profession than law enforcement," said Barr in a prepared statement. "But as criminal threats and social conditions have changed the responsibilities and roles of police officers, there is a need for a modern study of how law enforcement can best protect and serve American communities."

MacDonald, a former prosecutor and judge, took office in June 2018, succeeding Andrew Luger and his interim successor, Gregory Brooker. She has promised to prioritize curbing gun crimes, violent extremism and crime on American Indian reservations.

The board will conduct its study via hearings, panel presentations, field visits and public meetings, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Areas it will examine include social issues such as mental illness and homelessness, recruitment, technological innovations, public trust in police and "refusals by state and local prosecutors to enforce laws or prosecute categories of crimes."

The commission also includes urban police chiefs, state prosecutors, county sheriffs, members of rural and tribal law enforcement, federal agents, a U.S. attorney, and a state attorney general. Last September, Barr appointed MacDonald to another federal committee to help steer justice priorities in Washington.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr swore in members of the Presidential Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice. Minnesota U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald was named to the commission.

Andy Mannix • 612-673-4036