William Barr, AG, urges balanced approach to police reform

Attorney General William P. Barr on Wednesday urged lawmakers and municipalities to take a measured approach to overhauling police practices.

While the nation’s top law enforcement official acknowledged a police force is necessary, he also called for oversight to prevent departments from becoming oppressive.

“It is a question of striking the right balance,” he said. “We need to support the police so they are out there protecting communities, but at the same time we have to be sure that there are not these abuses.”

“It is not defunding the police or doing away with police or demonizing police nor is it giving short shrift to legitimate concerns that are out there about police abuses and overreach,” Mr. Barr continued. “I think we need to strike a balance here.”

Mr. Barr’s comments came during a press conference with Sen. Tim Scott, South Carolina Republican, in that state. The two met with local church leaders and pastors and had a separate session with South Carolina law enforcement officials.

Mr. Barr said the religious leaders aired their grievances about law enforcement’s dealings with the Black community, including worries about the number of unarmed Black men killed by police and racial profiling.

“We talked about general concerns that underlie some of the distrust towards law enforcement,” he said. “Beyond the shootings, there is the problem of profiling and treating people as suspects before you treat them as citizens.”