U.S. Conference of Mayors President Kevin Johnson Responds To Police Officer Shooting Of Unarmed Man In North Charleston, SC:

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Apr 08, 2015, 08:57 ET

WASHINGTON, April 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- U.S. Conference of Mayors President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson today issued the following statement in response to the police officer shooting of Walter Scott in North Charleston (SC):

"The nation's mayors are deeply saddened by the news of the terrible tragedy that occurred in North Charleston on Saturday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Walter Scott. We applaud the swift and decisive action taken by Mayor Keith Summey and Police Chief Eddie Driggers and hope that it will help to calm community concerns.

"At the same time, we must say that the vast majority of police officers are not only law-abiding, but face the reality of leaving for work each day without any guarantee that they'll return home safely. This tragic incident should not be considered a blanket indictment of all law enforcement.

"Sadly, incidents like this one only serve to undermine trust between communities and law enforcement and corrode the core principles upon which effective community policing is built. Through our working group of mayors and police chiefs, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has developed a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at improving police-community relations in our cities by building public trust and strengthening accountability."

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

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SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors