WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is calling for reform to America's criminal justice system after the racially-charged controversy over police shootings in Missouri and New York.

The President said Americans may have different takes on the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York. Both were unarmed black men who died after confrontations with white police officers.

But Obama said all can understand a father's fear that his son can't walk home without being harassed. And he said all can understand the concerns of a policeman's wife who can't rest until he comes home.

Obama said in his State of the Union address that lower crime and incarceration rates should allow all sides to come together to reform America's criminal justice system so it protects and serves all. (AP)