Attorney general William Barr has said he does not generally believe there is systemic racism in US police departments. During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Democratic congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas questioned Barr on whether he considered the killing of George Floyd to be indicative of a systemic problem in policing. Amid crosstalk between Lee and Barr, the attorney general said: ‘I don’t agree there is systemic racism in police departments generally in this country.’
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In This Story: Police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and the use of force legitimized by the state via the monopoly on violence.