- Jun 17, 2005
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The president of the country’s largest police chief organization formally apologized Monday for the “historical mistreatment” of racial minorities — one of the strongest statements a national police figure has made to date on race.
Law enforcement officers have been the “face of oppression for far too many of our fellow citizens,” Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, told thousands of police chiefs from across the country at the group’s annual conference in San Diego. He said that police have had “darker periods” in their history, and that mistrust between police and minorities is the “fundamental issue” facing police today.
As national outrage over police shootings of black Americans has grown, the association frequently called for greater building of trust between police and communities, but did not formally apologize for past racism among police.
Cunningham, who is white and serves as the chief of police in Wellesley, Mass., spoke for just over four minutes between longer speeches from the general secretary of Interpol and Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch.
Police and activists alike praised Cunningham’s remarks, though some said they fell short of fully addressing the reasons there is sometimes a gulf between police and the communities they serve.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-police-chiefs-apology-20161017-snap-story.html
Cunningham, chief of police in Wellesley, Massachusetts, added: "We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities. For our part, the first step in this process is for the law enforcement profession and the IACP to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society's historical mistreatment of communities of color."
Cunningham's remarks come at a tense moment in the history of relations between law enforcement and many communities across the United States.
Activists and others have decried the shooting of unarmed black men at the hands of police. Protests have erupted in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago and elsewhere over shooting deaths.
Names such as Philando Castile, a black man fatally shot in a traffic stop in July in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Walter Scott, another black man shot by a police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, have become rallying cries for those who say police reform is needed.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/17/us/police-chiefs-group-minorities-apology/
Law enforcement officers have been the “face of oppression for far too many of our fellow citizens,” Terrence Cunningham, president of the International Assn. of Chiefs of Police, told thousands of police chiefs from across the country at the group’s annual conference in San Diego. He said that police have had “darker periods” in their history, and that mistrust between police and minorities is the “fundamental issue” facing police today.
As national outrage over police shootings of black Americans has grown, the association frequently called for greater building of trust between police and communities, but did not formally apologize for past racism among police.
Cunningham, who is white and serves as the chief of police in Wellesley, Mass., spoke for just over four minutes between longer speeches from the general secretary of Interpol and Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch.
Police and activists alike praised Cunningham’s remarks, though some said they fell short of fully addressing the reasons there is sometimes a gulf between police and the communities they serve.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-police-chiefs-apology-20161017-snap-story.html
Cunningham, chief of police in Wellesley, Massachusetts, added: "We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities. For our part, the first step in this process is for the law enforcement profession and the IACP to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society's historical mistreatment of communities of color."
Cunningham's remarks come at a tense moment in the history of relations between law enforcement and many communities across the United States.
Activists and others have decried the shooting of unarmed black men at the hands of police. Protests have erupted in cities such as Ferguson, Missouri; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago and elsewhere over shooting deaths.
Names such as Philando Castile, a black man fatally shot in a traffic stop in July in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Walter Scott, another black man shot by a police officer in North Charleston, South Carolina, have become rallying cries for those who say police reform is needed.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/17/us/police-chiefs-group-minorities-apology/
