President Obama made a reckless comment at his news conference on Wednesday evening regarding the actions of the Cambridge Police Department's actions in the arrest of an individual who happens to be a friend of the President. Unfortunately, the President was correct when he said he didn't have all the facts. Police reports indicate that the resident who was arrested had verbally assaulted multi-racial officers at the scene with racial epithats and created a disturbance. Could they have cited him rather than do a custody, maybe but I'm not gonna arm chair quarterback. What the President did was reckless and very counter-productive. If he wants to have a serious discussion about the issue of policing in this country, he needs to follow up on his promise and convene a national council on law enforcement. Below, is a letter from the current IACP President. (International Association of Chiefs of Police)
Statement from IACP President Russell B. Laine
Police chiefs understand that it is critically important to have all the facts on any police matter before drawing conclusions or making any public statement. For these reasons, the IACP was disappointed in the President’s characterization of the Cambridge Police Department during last night’s press conference. Thanks to the hard work of dedicated law enforcement professionals we have made remarkable strides in policing in recent years. As a profession, we are not willing to accept any substandard law enforcement practices and we continually strive to do everything we can to maintain a trusting and confident relationship with all of our citizens in every part of the country.
Each and every day, more than 800,000 law enforcement officers in the United States work hard and sacrifice themselves in order to protect individuals of all races, colors and creeds. Their profound commitment and dedication to protecting the lives and property of their fellow citizens is both remarkable and commendable. Despite their daily efforts establishing and maintaining a safe community is difficult at the best of times.
When the bond of trust between a police agency and its community is strained, the task becomes almost impossible. Our recent success in reducing crime has been possible because leaders in both law enforcement and the community realized that law enforcement officers cannot simply patrol a community, they must be part of the community.
Conversely, members of the community must be active participants in law enforcement efforts, willing to step forward and assist officers and their departments when necessary. We must continue our efforts to move past the difficulties and recriminations of the past and work together to forge stronger and safer communities.
The President’s comments serve to underscore the need for a “National Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice” that the IACP has advocated for more than 20 years--a proposal that was endorsed by the President during last year's presidential campaign.
A National Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice would be empowered to give close examination to many of the issues that arise in this incident.
It is needed and long overdue.
Sincerely,
Chief Russell B. Laine
President, IACP