Police call Sen. Warren's 'disrespectful' comments 'an insult' to officers

Senator Elizabeth Warren caught the eye of many Massachusetts police departments after comments she made about the criminal justice system.

Warren was speaking at an event at Dillard University in New Orleans hosted by Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond, and made comments calling the criminal justice system racist.

"The hard truth about our criminal justice system: It's racist," Warren was quoted as saying. "I mean, front to back."

The comments garnered the attention of police on both a local and state level, including the Yarmouth Police Department, who called Warren's statements a slap in the face.

"This statement is an insult to the hard working men and women of the Yarmouth Police Department, as well as other Local, State and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies who are part of the criminal justice system," Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson wrote. "Additionally there are many District Attorneys, Judges, Probation Officers, Parole Officers and other parts of the system that she slapped in the face."

Steven J. Wojnar, president of the Massachusetts Chief of Police Association, wrote a letter to Warren after the comments were made, asking for more clarification about her statements.

"As a police chief in your home state of Massachusetts, as well as the statewide association representative, I am extremely troubled by this statement," Wojnar said. "Labeling the entire criminal justice profession as 'racist' spreads false and damaging information about our members."

Wojnar said Warren's comments had no basis to them, and make it more difficult in the end for officers to build trust with their communities.

"When our elected officials make generalized and inflammatory statements about our entire profession, without any information to back their position, it creates further hostility toward our officers and can damage the positive relationships with our residents that we have worked long and hard to establish," Wojnar wrote.

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