I agree with Derrick Z. Jackson’s important observation that “the Dallas killings cannot allow America to sweep away the tragedy of police brutality, which has raged for decades and is clearly justified in the eyes of a nation that has done little to stop it’’ (BostonGlobe.com, July 8). Last year the US Justice Department’s report on the police department in Ferguson brought to light the worst fears African-Americans have about law enforcement: targeted arrests of innocent citizens, abuse of power, and the dehumanization of the citizens it vowed to protect.

The institutionalized racism in the Ferguson police department would never have been exposed if it were not for the call to action of American citizens following the death of Michael Brown. Now we turn our attention to the tragic events in Minnesota and Louisiana, and you can hear the same outcry.

There have been calls for police departments to reevaluate their training practices as well as a commitment to greater understanding between police and the communities they serve. Similar suggestions were made after incidents in Staten Island, N.Y.; North Charleston, S.C., and Cleveland. Sadly, these ideas always seem to come as a reaction to injustice. Police departments must take a proactive stance against racial bigotry.

Officers must address the “implicit and explicit racial bias’’ highlighted in the Justice Department report. This bias still remains deeply engrained in too much of our society. The federal government once again holds the key to ensuring justice in these recent cases. It must take action. This will ensure that the victims’ deaths are not in vain.

Julian Kenneth Braxton

Boston