Republican vice presidential nominee Mike Pence
Mike (Michael) Richard PenceThe Trail 2016: Trump seizes on Charlotte violence Pence: Too much focus on 'institutional racism' after police shootings The Hill's 12:30 Report MORE says there is too much focus on “institutional racism and institutional bias” in the wake of police shootings like those in Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C., this week.
"We ought to set aside this talk, this talk about institutional racism and institutional bias," Pence said Thursday at a roundtable of pastors in Colorado Springs, Colo., according to
Politico.
"Police officers are human beings," he said earlier in the event. "And in difficult and life-threatening situations, mistakes are made and people have to be held to strict account, but we both believe that it's important that we have a president who, as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States, stands behind the men and women who serve in law enforcement."
When asked what he would do to heal racial divides, Pence promised accountability in police shootings.
"When there's any loss of life, we have to speak with compassion, we have to make it clear that there will be a thorough investigation and that justice will be served and that high standards will be upheld," he said.
On Wednesday, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump
Donald TrumpThe Trail 2016: Trump seizes on Charlotte violence 57 former ambassadors picked by GOP presidents endorse Clinton Overnight Energy: GOP leaves Flint out of spending bill MORE addressed the shooting in Tulsa, saying he was “very troubled” by the footage that showed the moments before and after police fatally shot an unarmed man.