Attorney General William Barr is pushing back against the idea of defunding police departments amid heightened concerns about ongoing police brutality and racial injustice.
During an interview with Fox News on Monday, Barr expressed concern about the push for police reform as he noted the dangers that could be associated with demonizing police.
While Barr admitted he believes there is a “universal agreement” on the need for clear standards and systems to hold officers accountable for their actions, he also defended police officers.
Barr insists lawmakers must ensure good officers are also treated fairly as he stressed the importance of not holding entire police structures accountable for the isolated actions of select officers.
“Police chiefs, the rank and file officers understand the need for change and there has been great change,” he said. “And I think defunding the police, holding the entire police structure responsible for the actions of certain officers is wrong, and I think it’s dangerous to demonize police.”
While police brutality and racial injustice are the main concerns of the American people amid the protests, Barr is placing an emphasis on the opposite side of the spectrum as he noted the difficulties of the job.
“We put these individuals into highly charged, dangerous situations where their own life is at stake,” Barr said, adding, “And we have to make sure we treat them fairly in those circumstances.”
Barr also detailed another crisis he sees in policing.
“There’s a crisis in policing because its a very tough job,” Barr said, later adding, “We want the best, most responsible people we can get. And we have to attract them into the profession. We have to retain them. We have to train them and we have to continue to professionalize our police forces.”
See Barr’s remarks below:
Barr’s latest remarks come less than one day after he offered his take on systemic racism.
According to Barr, it doesn’t exist in the law enforcement system. During an appearance on “Face the Nation,” Barr acknowledged that history proves institutions were “explicitly racist,” but he does not believe that is the case now, as previously reported on IJR.
“I don’t think that the law enforcement system is systemically racist,” Barr said during the interview.
“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.”
“I think there's racism in the United States,” AG Bill Barr tells @margbrennan.
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) June 7, 2020
“But I don't think that the law enforcement system is systemically racist. https://t.co/dq311AV3bv pic.twitter.com/H2W54re4tt
Despite Barr’s claims, evidence and statistics prove otherwise. According to RaceForward.org, systemic racism does exist in policing but effects have caused structural and institutional impacts that still plague many minorities.
Systemic racism can be found in America’s wealth gap, employment statistics, housing discrimination, lending practices, government surveillance, incarceration rates, statistics documenting drug arrests, immigration arrests, and infant mortality.