“We need less incarceration, not more, to keep all Americans safe.”

Criminal justice reform groups have been saying this for years. This time the source is unexpected: More than 130 of the nation’s top law-enforcement officials, including big-city police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and attorneys general, have joined the call to end to the harsh, counterproductive practices and policies that have driven America’s devastating prison boom, destroyed communities and written off an entire generation of young men of color.

In a news conference on Wednesday, officials who have spent their careers fighting crime stood up to say that too often, the aggressive approach has only made matters worse. “It’s really clear that we can reduce crime and at the same time reduce incarceration rates,” Garry McCarthy, Chicago’s police chief, said. The group includes, among others, the police chiefs of New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Houston.

It was a remarkable moment, even as it underscored the central role the police and prosecutors have long played in creating and sustaining the current incarceration crisis.