The president of America's largest police management organization on Monday issued a formal apology to the nation's minority population for the actions of the past and the role that our profession has played in society's historical mistreatment of communities of color." Terrence M. Cunningham, the chief of police in Wellesley, Mass., delivered his remarks at the convention in San Diego of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, whose membership includes 23,000 police officials in the United States. The statement ... comes as police executives continue to grapple with tense relationships between officers and minority groups in the wake of high-profile civilian deaths in New York, South Carolina, Minnesota and elsewhere, the sometimes violent citizen protests which have ensued as well as the ambush killings of officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. 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." Jeffery Robinson, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union, applauded Cunningham's statement. "It seems to me that this is a very significant admission," Robinson said.