Attorney General Loretta Lynch pushed back Tuesday on FBI Director James Comey's assertion that police have scaled back their work in some cases because of fear of harassment, known as "the Ferguson effect."
She told the Senate Judiciary Committee that "no data" supported the idea,
The Washington Post reports.
"While certainly there might be anecdotal evidence there, as all have noted, there's no data to support it," Lynch said. "And what I have seen in my travels across this country is the dedication, 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."
The term resulted from the civil unrest in several major cities after the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and other African-American men by police or while in police custody.
Comey cited many cases in a speech last month in which officers told him of being singled out for such criticism — especially with the widespread use of video taken by citizens — and said that it might have caused the
recent increase is violent crimes in several major cities.
Drug Enforcement Enforcement Administrator Chuck Rosenberg has also
backed Comey's comments.
Lynch also told senators that transferring terrorism detainees from Guantanamo Bay to prisons around the country was not possible under the law.
"The current state of the law allows for the transfer of certain detainees from Guantanamo Bay, those that after a vigorous review process, are placed in that transfer category to countries, that after significant vetting and promises of management, can accept them," Lynch said, according to the Post.
"With respect to individuals being transferred to the United States, the law currently does not allow for that," she added. "And that is not, as I am aware of, going to be contemplated given the legal prescriptions."
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