Deval Patrick Talks Race, Policing on 'Axe Files'

Former governor Deval Patrick is the latest featured guest on David Axelrod's "Axe Files" podcast, out Monday, where he discusses his path to serving as Massachusetts' first African-American governor and the dicey topic of policing and race relations.

Patrick talked about the dangers of policing "made more so because of the proliferation of guns," coupled with the importance of training officer to use restraint.

"That's what the rule of law means," he told Axelrod. "It really does mean that you don't get to be judge and jury and executioner out on the street. ... The expectations of official behavior are higher."

Patrick, who served as adviser to a Chicago police reform commission, acknowledged how charged the debate has become, and how difficult it can be to critique officers "because it sounds to some that you are dishonoring the role of law enforcement and being unrealistic about how hard the job is."

His solution is to get officers out of their cruisers "and start to build relationships with members of the community, relationships of trust."

You can listen to the full discussion via http://podcast.cnn.com or http://itunes.com/theaxefiles.

The podcast is a joint project between CNN and the University of Chicago Institute of Politics, where Axelrod now serves as director.

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