Cape Cod Police Chief Blasts Elizabeth Warren's Ferguson Tweet

YARMOUTH, MA — A police chief on Cape Cod once again finds himself at odds with Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson, who called Warren out last year for saying America has a "racist" criminal justice system "front to back," is now criticizing the 2020 hopeful for her recent tweet about Michael Brown.

"5 years ago Michael Brown was murdered by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri," Warren tweeted Aug. 9. "Michael was unarmed yet he was shot 6 times. I stand with activists and organizers who continue the fight for justice for Michael. We must confront systemic racism and police violence head on."

Brown's death sparked protests and riots across Ferguson in the summer of 2014, but a Justice Department report the following year found Officer Darren Wilson had reason to fear for his life and did not find evidence to support the claim that Brown had his hands up when he was shot.

In a statement on the Yarmouth Police Department's Facebook page, Frederickson called the senator's comments "another slap in the face." Frederickson emphasized he did not want to make a political statement, but rather "set the record straight," and urged Warren to spend some time with a local police department.

"I am very proud to say that Yarmouth Police Officers do not fit Senator Warren’s statement and for the record Policing in Massachusetts is excellent in spite of obstacles such as this," Frederickson wrote. "I fully recognize that Policing has to always be responsive and accountable for our errors and I believe we work hard to do so."

In response to Frederickson last year, Warren clarified that she was talking about the "entire system – not individuals." Frederickson said she also called him personally and "tried to explain the real meaning of her ill-advised comments."

Read Frederickson's full letter below: