During a speech Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said that communities that do not show proper deference and respect to law enforcement should go without police protection in the future. 

The remarks were made while announcing the recipients of the third annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing. The award recognizes the exceptional work of 19 law enforcement officers and deputies from 12 jurisdictions across the country.

"But I think today, American people have to focus on something else, which is the sacrifice and the service that is given by our law enforcement officers,” Barr said. “And they have to start showing, more than they do, the respect and support that law enforcement deserves ― and if communities don’t give that support and respect, they might find themselves without the police protection they need.”

While the attorney general's comments do not specify what "communities" he is referring to, a spokesperson for American Bridge said he was referring to communities of color that have historically had an adversarial relationship with law enforcement due to repeated incidents of police brutality, long-standing mass incarceration and the permissive practice of racial profiling.

"The Attorney General isn’t being subtle and that shouldn’t surprise us considering this administration’s record,” American Bridge Spokesperson Jeb Fain said in a statement reported by HuffPost. “When it comes to communities of color, he sees justice and equal protection under the law as subject to conditions. Barr’s words are as revealing as they are disturbing ― flagrantly dismissive of the rights of Americans of color, disrespectful to countless law enforcement officers who work hard to serve their communities, and full of a continuing disregard for the rule of law.”

These are not Barr's first controversial comments regarding policing. In August, the attorney general said to the Fraternal Order of Police―the country’s largest police organization―that there should be “zero tolerance for resisting police.”