Police unrest goes beyond racism, Dem says

The issue of police reform is heating up on Capitol Hill as lawmakers search for ways to build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

In the wake of several police killings of unarmed black men, House Judiciary Committee ranking Democrat John Conyers Jr. (Mich.) said Tuesday that the unrest “goes well beyond the issues of racism and violent police behavior.”

“The vast majority of police officers perform their jobs professionally and without bias,” Conyers said at a hearing to discuss police reforms. “But like any profession, there are those who make it difficult for the rest to serve their communities.”

{mosads}“What occurred in those cities clearly resulted from a vicious tangle of concentrated poverty and culturally disenfranchised youth as well as a countervailing culture of law enforcement disconnected from their communities,” he said.

Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said he is concerned about whether “force is used appropriately” by police officers around the country.

“It is clear that we must find a better way for our police and citizens to interact both in everyday situations and when more difficult circumstances arise,” Goodlatte said.

Goodlatte spoke about “increasing unrest” following the police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo.; Eric Garner in New York; and Freddie Gray in Baltimore, all of whom were unarmed at the time of their deaths.

He called for better police training to “apprehend criminals while minimizing harm to innocent citizens.”

“At the same time, I am increasingly concerned with the repeated targeting of our police and law enforcement officers,” Goodlatte said.