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Addressing the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said there is no data to support the Ferguson Effect — the idea that the increased scrutiny over police brutality, sparked by the death of an unarmed Black teenager in Missouri last summer, has made the country less safe.

Asked by Rep. John Conyers (D. Mich.) during the hearing if the conversation surrounding police practices, especially in the wake of a number of killings at the hands of police officers, is somehow putting the country in danger, Lynch ensured us the discussion is only serving to make both communities and officers safer.

“Our discussion about civil rights and the appropriate use of force and all police tactics can only serve to make all of us — community members and police officers — safer.”

“While certainly there might be anecdotal evidence there, as all have noted, there’s no data to support it, and what I have seen in my travels across this country is the dedicated, the commitment and the resolve of our brave men and women in law enforcement to improving policing, to embracing the 21st Century Task Force recommendations, and to continuing to have a dialogue that makes our country safer for all,” Lynch said.

Lynch’s declaration as the chief law enforcement official in the government negates comments made by FBI Director James Comey, who last month argued that officers in major cities feel “under siege” due to protests, demonstrations, and discussions that aim to hold police officers accountable. The use of social media to share videos and encounters with police officers, Comey suggested, has sent a “chill wind” through departments, making police officers less likely to act and individuals more likely to engage in criminal behavior.

“I don’t know whether that explains it entirely, but I do have a strong sense that some part of the explanation is a chill wind that has blown through American law enforcement over the last year,” he said.

On the contrary, Lynch said she’s had conversations with officers around the country focused on “best thoughts and best practices” to keep both the public and officers safe.

SOURCE: Huffington Post | VIDEO SOURCE: Inform

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