French national police chief says officers under investigation ‘have no place in prison’

By ELAINE GANLEY
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — France’s national police chief has said that law enforcement officers under investigation shouldn’t be jailed like ordinary citizens amid a walkout by numerous Marseille police over the detention of a colleague for his actions during nationwide riots. The apparently unprecedented remarks by Frederic Veaux in a weekend interview quickly triggered a debate and raised fundamental questions about whether French law enforcement is above the law. French police are often accused of on-the-job brutality and racism for singling out Black people or those with North African roots for identity checks or detention while unions say that officers themselves feel maligned.