Show Civil Rights Must Not Be Violated In Law Enforcement TO ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT by Edgar Director IT IS A SAD COMMENTARY on modem-day law enforcement for any officer to be guilty of a violation of In addition to the basic immoral aspects and the attendant public such incidents are all the more regrettable because they are so BUT FOR A FEW ISOLATED the day of police brutality is Scientific crime-detection techniques and professional standards have now become the strong arm of law and there is no need for any officer to resort to dishonorable Responsible police officials do not tolerate such They know there is no substitute for intelligent supported by scientific IN RECENT OUR nation has made great strides in advancing human dignity and welfare Law enforcement has been most instrumental in these advancements and has been a strong ally of those dedicated to preserving our God-given Our called upon to protect and help preserve individual is charged with a sacred If we do less than our utmost to live up to this we WE MAY BE PROUD OF OUR but we can not be satisfied as long as incidents occur which give justification to charges of civil rights violations involving law Some extremists use these incidents as sounding They exploit civil rights as well as other just causes for self-aggrandizement and personal They distort spread rumors and and pit one element of society against another THE FBI IS CHARGED WITH the responsibility of investigating alleged violations of civil of has never been a popular We are criticized on the one hand by those who cry and usurpation of functions rightfully reserved to the On the other we are attacked by those who say we have hedged on civil rights matters involving members of law OUR POSITION ON BOTH POINTS is well known Over the we have consistently given these investigations prompt and impartial attention without apologies to This will continue to be our LET ME MAKE IT ABUNDANTLY clear that in the overwhelming majority of the cases we have been extended full cooperation from the agencies Upstanding police officials realize the most effective means of refuting unfounded allegations is to expose them to the light of impartial if the facts prove a violation has they are equally anxious to rid their agencies of the stigma LAW ENFORCEMENT problems stemming from civil rights will not resolve Where derelictions corrective action is There is no good reason why our profession should continue to be the butt of aspersion cast by the self-styled Let us conduct our business in such a manner that they must turn elsewhere for crusading from FBI Law Enforcement |