Wolf: Law enforcement does not have ‘systemic racism problem,’ some officers ‘abuse their jobs’

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said Sunday that he doesn’t think there is a “systemic racism problem” among law enforcement across the U.S. after an unarmed black man, George Floyd, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck during an arrest.

“This Week” host Martha Raddatz asked Wolf to respond to an Axios poll showing 77 percent of white people trust local police compared to 36 percent of African Americans.

“I do not think that we have a systemic racism problem with law enforcement officers across this country,” he said on the ABC show. “Do I acknowledge that there are some law enforcement officers that abuse their jobs? Yes.”

“I would say that there are individuals in every profession across this country that probably abuse their authority and their power,” he added. “We need to hold them accountable.”

JUST IN: Pressed by @MarthaRaddatz on disproportionate rate of deaths of black men and women at the hands of police, acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf claims there’s no “systemic racism problem” in law enforcement but adds some officers “abuse their jobs.” https://t.co/upDZ0WZ2lY pic.twitter.com/vl5VWWPJe8

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 7, 2020

He also said the accountability of these officers can “absolutely” be done better, but cautioned against generalizations.

{mosads}“I think there’s always things that we can do more but again, I think painting law enforcement with a broad brush of systemic racism is really a disservice to the men and women who put on the badge, the uniform every day,” he said. 

The death of Floyd after he was detained by police in Minneapolis last month sparked protests across the country that have continued into this week. 

Video footage has also circulated on social media appearing to show law enforcement officers allegedly mistreating demonstrators. Two Buffalo, N.Y. officers were shown shoving and injuring a white, elderly man, leading to their suspensions and charges of second-degree assault.