--a call for a nationwide review of the way police patrol predominantly black neighborhoods.

--an appeal for municipal police agencies to work closely with community leaders when devising patrol strategies for high crime areas.

The statement's final recommendation is to use the Diallo incident to address the "problems of racism, conscious and subconscious[.]"

The professors said that they felt the issue of race was of central importance in the incident and should not be avoided as they said they see many trying to do.

"It is not enough for leaders to question the competence of the prosecution, or to call for a Justice Department investigation, or even to empathize with outraged citizens," the statement reads. "This is also a moment for leaders to teach Americans about the continuing power of color in the lives of average people. We share the somber view of many that had Diallo been a European immigrant in a white neighborhood, he would be alive and unharmed today."

The statement praises police efforts to reduce the prevalence of crime in black communities.

In Boston, police precinct captains work closely with clergy and community leaders in high-crime areas to build support for their patrol procedures.