Former New York City Police Commissioner Howard Safir said in an interview broadcast Sunday that ex-Attorney General Eric Holder had blatantly mistreated law enforcement during his tenure leading the Department of Justice (DOJ).
{mosads}“Unfortunately, Eric Holder, the previous attorney general, had a war on police,” Safir told host John Catsimatidis on his radio show, “The Cats Roundtable.”
“He spent more time investigating police departments than he did investigating criminals,” he added.
Safir argued that Holder’s replacement, former New York federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch, would have a better relationship with the nation’s police forces.
“She’s fair and honest,” he said. “She’s a good lady.”
Safir additionally said he believed Lynch would act honorably during the DOJ’s investigation of the Baltimore Police Department for discriminatory behavior.
“As long as they’re going into this with the idea of improving policing rather than going after the police, it’s probably OK,” he said of the agency’s inquiry.
Lynch announced on Friday that her agency would look into possible civil rights violations by Baltimore’s law enforcement officials.
“This investigation will begin immediately and will focus on allegations that Baltimore Police Department officials used excessive force, including deadly force, conduct unlawful searches, seizures and arrests, and engage in discriminatory policing,” she said during a news conference.
Baltimore erupted in riots last month following the death of Freddy Gray, 25.
Police arrested Gray, a black man, for allegedly possessing an illegal knife. He died following a fatal spinal injury suffered while in their custody.
The Gray case has sparked national debate about the relationship between law enforcement officials and the minority communities they protect and serve.
The Senate confirmed Lynch, the nation’s first African American attorney general in April after a 160-day stalemate.
The standoff over Lynch started when lawmakers clashed over abortion restrictions in an unrelated bill to halt human trafficking crimes.