Head of police chiefs group apologizes for 'historical mistreatment' of minorities

Terry Cunningham and President Obama.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Terry Cunningham, the president of the largest police chief organization in the United States, offered a formal apology on Monday for the "historical mistreatment" of minorities.

At the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Cunningham said the mistrust between minorities and police is a "fundamental issue," and law enforcement officials have been the "face of oppression for far too many of our fellow citizens." The past cannot be changed, but it's "clear that we must change the future," Cunningham told the crowd. "We must move forward together to build a shared understanding. We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities." He did not mention the protests that recently erupted following fatal officer-involved shootings of black people in Charlotte and Baton Rouge, or the targeted killings of police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.