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NEW ORLEANS – United States Attorney General William Barr is in New Orleans to address an annual conference of police chiefs.

The Major Cities Chiefs Association represents police chiefs and sheriffs of the 69 largest law enforcement agencies in the United States and the nine largest cities in Canada, according to the MCCA.

Barr began his remarks with a strong attack against politicians who don’t support the police. He also lambasted the media, who he said routinely calls police officers “bastards.”

The “soft on crime crowd” thinks of community policing as an alternative to targeting chronic offenders and getting them off the streets, Barr said. But community policing won’t work without a strong criminal justice system dedicated to putting criminals behind bars.

“The foundation has to be safety,” Barr said.

This year’s MCCA meeting began October 15 and is scheduled to run through October 17.