Amid comments about cracking down on violence and drug-linked crimes on Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said his office will also work to address police misconduct, contrasting statements President Trump made last week that encouraged police to be “rough” with alleged criminals.
Speaking to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) in Atlanta, Sessions said he will “hold any officer responsible for breaking the law.”
“We all know the cases of the last several years where, in confrontations with police, lives have been cut short,” he said. “Just as I am committed to defending law enforcement who use deadly force while lawfully engaged in their work, I will also hold any officer responsible (for) breaking the law.”
He said all it takes is “one bad officer” to ruin the police’s reputation in a community they have worked “day in and day out to build relationships in.”
“We cannot let mayors and city councils run down police in communities that are suffering only to see crime spike in the very neighborhood that need proactive, community policing the most,” he said, according to a transcript of his speech. “That helps no one. That protects no one.”
Sessions’ comments come after the President recently endorsed the rough treatment of suspected criminals during an anti-gang violence speech last week in Long Island. He told officers they didn’t need to be “too nice” to gang members they arrest and even suggested it was OK to let suspects hit their head on squad cars.
Several police groups have spoken out against the President’s remarks, including NOBLE, which reportedly told Sessions they were concerned that Trump’s words would cause more divisions between police and minorities.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has since dismissed criticism of the President’s comments, and said the remarks were just a “joke.”
“I think the President supports our law enforcement, and he supports the protection of the citizens of this country, and he wants to empower our law enforcement to be able to do their job,” Sanders told reporters Tuesday.
