Former law enforcement officer Matthew Horace said in an interview that aired Thursday on "Rising" that the Black Lives Matter movement has been helpful in the conversation about race and police violence.

Horace said he believes the movement has been helpful because it brought regional, national and even international exposure to "incidents that happened" in the U.S.

"I believe Black Lives Matter has been extremely helpful because if you look throughout the course of history, it's always been that element of our generation that have pushed the envelope," Horace told Hill.TV's Krystal Ball earlier this month.

"Had they not pushed the envelope, not only for national and regional exposure but black lives matter caused international exposure to many of the incidents that happened here in the U.S. There were protests in London, in Australia, in France," he continued.

"So I think they have their place. They had their place, and I think they still do have their place," he said.

Horace is promoting his new book, "The Black and the Blue," which details his experience with police culture, policies, and issues facing police departments across the country.

The activist movement gained traction in 2013 after George Zimmerman was acquitted in the shooting of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Fla.

It gained more attention during protests in the aftermath of the police-related deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., and Eric Garner in New York City.

The movement has received criticism from members of the law enforcement community and various conservatives, who say it is out of touch with the police community.

Former President Obama has defended the movement, however, President Trump Donald John TrumpSteele Dossier sub-source was subject of FBI counterintelligence probe Pelosi slams Trump executive order on pre-existing conditions: It 'isn't worth the paper it's signed on' Trump 'no longer angry' at Romney because of Supreme Court stance MORE said on the 2016 campaign trail that it has "divided" the U.S.

— Julia Manchester