“Legitimacy in the eyes of community members is central to effective policing,” Attorney General Eric Holder told the Police Executive Research Forum today. In prepared remarks for PERF’s annual meeting in Philadelphia, Holder said, “We're seeing that the outcome of police interactions matters far less to residents – and even to perpetrators – than the nature of these interactions. In other words, an arrest doesn't doom the law enforcement relationship with its public. But an unfortunate or unnecessarily heated interaction can.”
Holder noted that Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson and others at the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs are “exploring this issue more deeply through their Evidence Integration Initiative,” as is the Justice Department’s COPs Office. Holder spoke also about immigration enforcement, bullet-resistant vests for law enforcement and other police issues.