Loretta Lynch visits students, law enforcement in Miami

U.S. attorney general seeks to improve trust, cooperation, public safety

MIAMI ā€“ U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch met with students and law enforcement leaders at a Miami school Friday.

Lynch took part in a town hall meeting at Miami's Booker T. Washington Senior High School with students and local law enforcement officials.

"I came because of you," she told the students. "I came because of the great things that you are all doing."

Lynch spoke with students involved in the peace ambassador program, aimed at curbing youth violence.

She also attended events at Miami Dade College and the Freedom Tower.

The attorney general visited Miami as part of an initiative to improve trust, cooperation and public safety between law enforcement and local citizens. The initiative comes amid a national debate about police use of force and tactics following high-profile police shootings of unarmed young men in such places as Ferguson, Missouri, and Cleveland.

Ā Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Lynch's visit -- one day after a shooting near an elementary school and 48 hours after a shooting near Miami Carol City Senior High School -- couldn't have come at a better time.

"It's almost a good way of ending the week," Carvalho said. "After tragedy there's triumph."