CBS News' Jeff Pegues Talks About His New Book On Race & Policing, 'Black And Blue'
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- In this episode of Author Talks, CBS News Justice and Homeland Security Correspondent Jeff Pegues discusses his new book "Black and Blue: Inside the Divide between the Police and Black America."
"I wanted to get the facts out there," he tells WCBS anchor Steve Scott. "I felt because of my upbringing and because of my experience covering law enforcement over the last 25 years that I could present this divide equally in a book."
So how wide is the divide?
"Well there's still a problem here, and we're seeing it in the headlines. These stories -- very emotional, sad stories -- continue to pop up. And so there is still a divide," Pegues says. "However, progress is being made from the research that I've seen in that police departments are moving forward with reforms."
He says police departments and communities are working together on those reforms, like transparency, accountability, body cameras and increased training.
"So there is still a divide and it's going to take some time for that rift to be healed, but there are steps being taken on the local level and in a positive way in cities across the country in the wake of Ferguson, Baltimore and problems in Chicago," Pegues says. "Lessons are being learned and changes are being made."
Pegues goes on to discuss the history behind this tension in the country, the difficulties of the job that police officers are tasked with doing, and whether he thinks body cameras are helping the situation.
Find the full interview above, and learn more about "Black and Blue" here.