ATLANTA (AP) – The Trump administration’s tough talk on crime and the treatment of suspects has left black police officers worried that efforts to repair the fraught relationship between police and minority communities could be derailed.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday addressed a major black law enforcement group, just days after President Donald Trump said police shouldn’t be “nice” to suspects by shielding their heads as they are lowered, handcuffed, into police cars. The comment, now described by the White House as a joke, angered some cops who said it only served to dial back progress they’d made with the people they serve.
In addition, the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration said Saturday in an email to employees that Trump’s comments “condoned police misconduct regarding the treatment of individuals placed under arrest by law enforcement.” DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg said he thought it important to emphasize the drug agency’s operating principles, which include rule of law, respect and compassion and integrity.
Sessions did not directly address the president’s comments in his remarks Tuesday, but said police officers need the support of the community as they do a dangerous job.
In a Friday, July 28, 2017 file photo, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks during his interview with The Associated Press, at the National Police Headquarters in San Salvador, El Salvador. Sessions addressed the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, in Atlanta on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2017. He told members that they deserve the support of every American, and said the Trump administration stands behind them. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) “You deserve the support and respect of every American, and I’m here today on behalf of President Trump and the Department of Justice to say, ‘Thank you.’ I am proud to stand with you. The Department of Justice is proud to stand with you,” Sessions said, drawing applause from the crowd. “We have your back. We are in this together.”