Administration officials: U.S. doesn’t have systemic police racism problem

Administration officials: U.S. doesn’t have systemic police racism problem
by Aubree Eliza Weaver

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Attorney General William Barr argued Sunday that the U.S. doesn't have a "systemic racism problem" with its police.

"I do not think that we have a systemic racism problem with law enforcement officers across this country," Wolf told ABC's Martha Raddatz on “This Week,“ less than two weeks after George Floyd was killed by police and in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests across the country. Police have been criticized for their conduct during some of those protests.

"Do I acknowledge that there are some law enforcement officers that abuse their job? Yes, and again, we need to hold those accountable. And I would say that there are individuals in every profession across this country that probably abuse their authority and their power, and we need to hold them accountable."

Wolf added that, while there is "absolutely" room for improvement in law enforcement and community outreach, "painting law enforcement with a broad push of systemic racism is really a disservice to the men and women who put on the badge, the uniform every day and risk their lives every day to protect the American people."

In cases where law enforcement officers are not doing their jobs correctly, Wolf said individuals need to be held accountable — adding "that's what we're doing in the George Floyd case." Floyd died in police custody May 25 in Minneapolis; four police officers have been charged in the case.

Barr echoed Wolf's sentiments in an interview with CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

"I think there's racism in the United States still, but I don't think that the law enforcement system is systemically racist," Barr said.

"I understand the distrust, however, of the African American community, given the history in this country. I think we have to recognize that for most of our history, our institutions were explicitly racist. Since the 1960s, I think we've been in a phase of reforming our institutions and making sure that they're in sync with our laws and aren't fighting a rearguard action to impose inequities."

Barr added that, while he thinks this level of reform is difficult, he thinks "it is working and progress has been made."

Wolf also mentioned some of the acts committed during protests across the country, including vandalism and looting.

"While we're focusing on some of the police, we also need to focus on what has occurred over the last week in cities across America," he said. "Burning churches, defacing monuments. We cannot let that go on, and I think as we talk about what the police is doing, we also need to talk about what they're up against every day, as well."

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