A police chief admitting to racism is quite significant and that seems to have happened on Monday when the president of America’s largest police chief group issued a formal apology to the nation’s minority population.

The apology was issued “for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society’s historical mistreatment of communities of color.”

Wow! That’s something, a start, some progress, right?

Terrence M. Cunningham, the chief of police in Wellesley, Mass, spoke on behalf of the organisation International Association of Chiefs of Police, who numbers over 23k members nationwide.

The Washington Post reported:

“Events over the past several years,” Cunningham said, “have caused many to question the actions of our officers and has tragically undermined the trust that the public must and should have in their police departments…The history of the law enforcement profession is replete with examples of bravery, self-sacrifice, and service to the community. At its core, policing is a noble profession.

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But Cunningham added, “At the same time, it is also clear that the history of policing has also had darker periods.” He cited laws enacted by state and federal governments which “have required police officers to perform many unpalatable tasks…While this is no longer the case, this dark side of our shared history has created a multigenerational — almost inherited — mistrust between many communities of color and their law enforcement agencies.”

Cunningham continued, “While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future…For our part, the first step is for law enforcement and the IACP to acknowledge and apologize for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society’s historical mistreatment of communities of color.”

He concluded, “It is my hope that, by working together, we can break this historic cycle of mistrust and build a better and safer future for us all.”

Two civil rights group have commended the statement. The he American Civil Liberties Union and the NAACP Legal Fund.

However, is this too little too late, is it an attempt to calm down protests, is it a genuine hand out out and call for amends?

What do you think?

Read more in the Washington Post here.