Indianapolis, IN
United States
~ Monday, July 13, 2015
Remarks as prepared for delivery
Good morning – and thank you for the opportunity to be here
today. I want to express my gratitude to
Dr. [Cedric] Alexander for that kind introduction, and for his outstanding
leadership of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement
Executives. I also extend
congratulations to incoming NOBLE President [Gregory] Thomas. I look forward to your leadership of this
stellar organization. I’d also like to
thank Chief [Rick] Hite and all the officers of the Indianapolis Metropolitan
Police Department for hosting us – and this important conference – in their
beautiful city. It’s a pleasure to be
among so many extraordinary partners, exceptional colleagues and good friends. And it’s a privilege to stand with such an
inspiring and devoted group of public servants as we work to promote public
safety, protect national security, and defend the rights of every individual
who calls America home.
It is that vital mission that the National Organization of
Black Law Enforcement Executives has advanced for nearly four decades by
bringing together law enforcement professionals at every level who are
dedicated to ensuring “justice by action.”
This group has made profound, positive and lasting differences in the
well-being of our neighborhoods, in the defense of our homeland and in our
fundamental approach to public safety in this country. Through comprehensive training programs,
ardent advocacy and innovative thinking, you have enhanced careers while
improving – and saving – countless lives.
You have worked to open the doors of opportunity to all Americans, so
that women and men of all backgrounds can serve the community and the country
they love. And you have built bridges of
understanding to populations in need and at risk, from formerly incarcerated
individuals reentering society to the more than 60,000 young people you reach
through your mentoring and leadership development programs.
In every case and every instance, you have demonstrated an
unwavering commitment to the communities you protect, to the high calling you
exemplify and to the enduring ideals you uphold. Over my career in law enforcement – as a
federal prosecutor, a United States Attorney and now as Attorney General of the
United States – I have deeply admired how you and your fellow officers perform
daunting tasks with courage and compassion.
And at every stage along my journey, I have felt your support and
guidance, and I thank you for your inspiration.
I recognize the extraordinary leadership and strength of character you
must possess in order to serve as “the conscience of law enforcement.” And I understand the value of your efforts
not only to protect our communities, but to engage with our fellow citizens;
not only to uphold the law, but to empower those whom it serves; not only to
carry out the responsibilities of our profession, but to live up to the moral
obligations of our country.
These are not simple objectives – and nowhere are the
challenges more clear than in relationships between law enforcement and
communities of color. In such a diverse
nation with such a complex racial history, communities of color too often feel
like the targets, rather than the beneficiaries, of law enforcement. Too often, law enforcement officers and
executives can feel separated from the communities they serve. And too often, deeply-rooted tensions,
anxieties and mistrust are allowed to fester until they violently erupt. In recent months, a series of tragedies in
cities across the country has reminded us that these breakdowns can have
devastating consequences and has awakened this nation to longstanding issues
that we have a civic responsibility to address and that NOBLE has long seen and
sought to bring to the forefront of public discourse.
After all, the work that you and your members are tasked to
do – whether you serve law enforcement agencies or criminal justice
practitioners at the federal, state, county, or municipal level – is essential
to the safety of our citizens and the defense of our country. On matters of national security, you serve as
our boots on the ground – monitoring the communities you know so well,
identifying the seeds of homegrown terrorism and making sure they don’t take
root. You’re keeping watch over threats
to our cyber security, safeguarding our information networks against intrusions
by state actors and lone-wolf attackers alike.
And you stand on the front lines of our nationwide push to end human
trafficking and assist trafficking survivors.
You know better than anyone that doing these jobs well – and
serving our communities effectively – requires that we have a durable baseline
of trust, respect, and mutual understanding between law enforcement and the
citizens we serve. You know from
experience that when officers and residents share reliable and resilient
relationships, residents are more likely to help with investigations; victims
and witnesses of crime are more likely to come forward; and all of us in law
enforcement are better able to assist our neighbors and constituents when they
are in danger – or simply in need of a helping hand. You recognize that the way forward involves
both police engagement and community responsibility. True community policing has long been your
hallmark, from the days of the late, great Lloyd Sealy to today.
I want you to know that I am committed to doing my
part. Bolstering trust where
relationships have frayed is one of my top priorities as Attorney General and I
pledge to you that the Department of Justice will do everything we can to
support the progress that you and all of our communities need and deserve. Last September, we launched the National
Initiative for Building Community Trust and Justice, which is investing in
training; advancing evidence-based strategies; spurring policy development; and
supporting research that promotes credibility, enhances procedural justice,
reduces implicit bias and drives racial reconciliation. In pilot sites across the country, we are
working with community leaders to develop plans for progress, as well as
specific strategies tailored to local needs.
And as you may know, I recently embarked on a national community
policing tour to showcase some of the outstanding work that law enforcement
agencies and community groups are doing all across the country through
innovative and collaborative programs designed to advance public safety,
strengthen police-community relations, and foster mutual trust and
respect. I’ve already visited Cincinnati
and Birmingham, where we had robust and productive discussions with law
enforcement officials and a variety of community leaders and stakeholders – and
in the coming weeks, I will continue on to East Haven, Connecticut; Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania; Seattle, Washington; and Richmond, California. I am optimistic that these roundtable
conversations will help spur the improvements within law enforcement and
community organizations that we would all like to see nationwide. We have a great deal of work to do – but even
at this early stage, I have seen promising signs of progress that make me not only
hopeful, but excited about where our journey will lead.
When I was in Cincinnati, on the first stop of my community
policing tour, I went to Chase Elementary School to observe the city’s Right to
Read Program, in which Cincinnati police officers mentor and tutor
students. These young children had
regular contact with officers and had formed strong bonds with them. They saw them as peers and helpers; trusted
grownups and cherished friends. We
played “Jeopardy” with the students and reviewed what they had learned. We talked about what they were doing in
school, and what they want to be when they grow up. I asked if anyone wanted to be a police
officer. And every hand shot up.
I asked them why – what made them want to be an
officer? They told me that police
officers keep us safe. They protect
people who need protection. They get the
bad guys. And then a quiet boy in the
back of the classroom raised his hand and said, “Because they are the
peacemakers.”
I wish everyone in this country could have witnessed that
moment. I want every American to have a
chance to know a law enforcement officer as well as those children do. I want every American to share the awe that I
have always felt for the extraordinary work law enforcement officers
perform. And I want every American to
understand that no one pursues this difficult line of work for glory, for fame,
or for power – we do it because we are heeding the call of public service;
because we want to do our part for our neighbors and fellow citizens; and because
we want to make the world a safer, stronger, more peaceful place.
Those of us in this room have a unique opportunity – and a
special obligation – to advance that understanding. I am reminded of the words of W.E.B. Du Bois,
who captured the duality of the black experience when he wrote that “one ever
feels his twoness.” I have always
believed that the benefit of that internal struggle is a vital perspective on
the value of diversity – not to meet a quota, but to expand a worldview; not to
set ourselves apart, but to connect with our extended communities. As men and women of color, we have an
opportunity to ensure and to make clear that law enforcement at every level –
from the Office of the Attorney General to the officers on the front lines –
stands united with all Americans in the pursuit of a safer shared nation, a
brighter common future, and a more just society; that we will protect and serve
every community, from rural towns to prosperous enclaves to neighborhoods
defined by discord and distress; and that we will never settle for trickle-down
justice that protects and serves a fortunate few, because we know what that
feels like, and we will never condemn another to that fate. What we will always insist on is nothing less
than equal justice; comprehensive justice; justice that “rolls down like
waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” That is our goal; that is our creed; and that
is the lodestar that will set our course – not only today, but every day, in
every community across the country.
Now, I have no illusions that, going forward, this work will
be easy, or that our long-sought goals will be achieved overnight. But thanks to faithful public servants like
you – the women and men in this room, and your partners across the nation – I
also have no doubt about what we can accomplish together. This country – and certainly this impressive
gathering – has never failed to regard seemingly intractable challenges as
manifest opportunities. We have never
failed to stand up for what is right in the face of what is difficult. And we have never failed to look toward the
horizon with determination, with courage, and with resolve. I know NOBLE.
You have always stood at the challenging intersection of our
communities’ greatest needs for both understanding and protection. You have worked all day and well into the
night to protect those who fear, to comfort those who have been harmed, and to
ensure that all our citizens know the security promised them by those who
dreamed the dream of this great country of ours. You have seen all of this and done all of
this because you are the peacemakers – the guardians. I want you to know that, as you pursue this
effort, you not only have my grateful thanks – you also have my full and
unwavering support.
Thank you, once again, for your remarkable service, your
inspiring leadership, and your unshakable fidelity to our most deeply-held
values and our highest ideals. Thank you
for holding our safety in the palm of your hand. I wish you a most productive conference. And I urge you to keep up the outstanding
work.
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