The police apologizing?
Well, that’s what happened Monday when Terrence M. Cunningham, who heads the International Association of Chiefs of Police, addressed the group’s annual conference in San Diego. In his speech, Cunningham offered a formal apology “for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society’s historical mistreatment of communities of color.”
Cunningham went on to say that “we obviously cannot change the past—it is clear that we must change the future.” He called for a common path to solutions “to better protect our communities.” Then came the caveat: “At the same time, those who denounce the police must also acknowledge that today’s officers are not to blame for the injustices of the past. If either side in this debate fails to acknowledge these fundamental truths, we will be unlikely to move past them.”
Confession, admission and certainly apology are good for the soul, and we are aware that these are the first steps in solving any problem.
And while we join with others in praise for the apology, including Jeffrey Robinson, the deputy legal director of the ACLU, who stated that Cunningham’s proposal is a “necessary first step to them trying to change these relationships,” we believe so much more could have been said about the epidemic of police shootings, mainly of unarmed Black men.
The almost weekly, if not daily, atrocities by the police against communities of color and the rampant misconduct by law enforcement officers are the most pertinent issues that need attention and remedy.
Of course, we didn’t expect an apology from Cunningham, nor did we expect he would forge even deeper into the systemic racism that affects our society, of which the police are no exception.
Let us hope that Cunningham’s words will have a resonance beyond the past “mistreatment” but speak to the contemporary situation. It’s good that he has apologized for past actions, but those actions, such as the police brutality last week, are not something we place in a museum, frozen in time with no possibility of recurrence. Moreover, we don’t know much about Cunningham’s work at the police department he heads in Wellesley, Mass., but as it is said about charity, we hope his actions begin at home.
Beyond Cunningham’s preachments, there is the Justice Department, and they clearly have the power to step in and issue consent decrees against police departments in which there have been excessive incidents of police misconduct, much in the manner of the action taken by former Attorney General Eric Holder. We are glad to hear that the Department will begin collecting comprehensive data on police shootings or use of force. Those steps will ensure more transparency and provide the details so often neglected in such incidents. Kudos to Attorney General Loretta Lynch.
But when it comes to apologies, well, we’ve heard our share, including the congressional one against the slave trade, but they stopped short of discussing reparations. Now that we have an apology from Chief Cunningham, we await any sign of change beyond symbolism.
