Cameron McLay speaks on tense police-community relations.
Pittsburgh’s chief gets moment on national stage
At a time when policecommunity relations are a key political topic, Pittsburgh police Chief Cameron McLay came to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday to lay down the law — gently.
“We can respect and support our police officers while at the same time pushing for these important criminal justice reforms,” Chief McLay told the audience at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center. “We can do both and we will do both.”
“The assassination of eight police officers in 10 days have left many of us in law enforcement feeling under siege,” Chief McLay said. But at the same time, “The controversial officerinvolved shootings that have occurred since Ferguson [Mo.] have created a level of tension between police and our communities.”
“Ironically, crime rates have been falling for decades,” Chief McLay said, “but research shows that public trust in police is eroding.”
The chief offered Pittsburgh as a model for the kind of dialogue he said was necessary to restore that trust. Police and the community, he said, “are working closely together to reduce the violence and make sure our residents feel both safe and respected. “
Chief McLay’s remarks echoed those of the previous speaker, former Attorney General Eric Holder, who said leaders should honor “those who valiantly risk their lives to serve” while also “ensuring that everyone is treated fairly by police.”
“At a time when our justice system is out of balance, when 1 in 3 black men will be incarcerated in their lifetimes ... we need a president who will end this policy of over-incarceration,” Mr. Holder said.
Chief McLay’s remarks, like those of Mr. Holder and other Democratic speakers, offered a contrast to last week’s sometimes harsh law-and-order messaging at the Republican National Convention.
The “Black Lives Matter” movement came in for a drubbing in Cleveland. Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke Jr., for example, likened the movement to “anarchy” and praised “the good news out of Baltimore,” where an officer was acquitted in the death of a black citizen, Freddie Gray.
Chief McLay struck a much different note, stressing the need to “fight our natural tendency to hide inside our narrow worldview.” Quoting Martin Luther King Jr., he said, “True peace is not the absence of tension. It is the presence of justice.”