Trump’s Support For Police Is Undying. Meanwhile, His Opponent's Support is Mediocre.
/By David A. Clarke Jr., Sheriff (Ret.) Milwaukee County
www.flickr.com
During my nearly 40 years serving my community from a beat patrol officer working the graveyard shift as it was called, and ending it as the elected sheriff of Milwaukee County, there were several things you could count on as sure as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. One was that criminals would do what criminals do: commit crime. Another was that law-abiding people wanted to feel safe in their neighborhoods, in their homes and they wanted their children to be safe at school. Police officers have always had the support of the people they served. They still do, and in big numbers.
According to a recent poll by noted pollster Scott Rasmussen, 80% of registered voters agreed that policing is a “noble profession” and that police, “dedicate their lives to upholding the law and protecting the sacred rights of their fellow citizens,” and that they should be shown ”support and respect” for the work they do. A recent Gallup poll of black Americans showed the same support. That poll shows an overwhelming number of black Americans, 81%, support either the same amount or an increased amount of police presence in their neighborhoods. That is a far cry from how police have been slandered in the drive-by liberal media. I challenge anyone reading here to show that level of support for anything in any poll in our deeply divided country.
Once upon a time there was another group whose support police could rely on. They once could trust that politicians as a whole backed the police. It was important to have law enforcement endorsement at election time. If you didn’t have it and your opponent did, voters took note of that. Unfortunately, however, the political class has gotten into bed with the devil as I like to say. They have cuddled up with groups who hate and despise law enforcement officers and agencies. These groups publicly demonize cops. Even activist prosecutors are now shamefully and with no legal basis making politically motivated decisions on police use of force. The people of ANTIFA and the Marxist organization called Black Lives Matter (BLM) not only both call for the killing of police officers and the overthrow of the US government. They attack police, show up at their homes and terrorize their families. After two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were shot in an ambush attack as they sat in their cruisers, these low lifes identifying as BLM showed up at the hospital they were transported to, blocked the entrance and cheered for them to die. Now it has been taken to a new level as law enforcement officers are literally being gunned down in the streets. The response from the political class, mainly from, let’s be honest, notable Democrats to the violence against police has been tepid at best. Their silence is deafening. Their silence speaks volumes. A survey taken several years ago ranking the trustworthiness of 20 professions had law enforcement ranked number two behind only the military at number one. Politicians in the same survey were ranked number 19 ahead of only used car salesmen.
Enter President Donald J. Trump.
President Trump from the day he rode down the escalator at Trump Tower to announce his candidacy made it very clear that he was going to be the law and order candidate. From that day forward, he has spoken unambiguously about his support for the police. It is the police who defend law and order in keeping our communities safe from the ravages of criminals. He has defended this profession against the smears of the cop-hating crowd. He has spoken out against the inane idea of defunding and abolishing police when local government politicians go along with the idea. At the Republican National Convention, he picked me to deliver a prime-time speech on Make America Safe Again night where I called for him to be elected the 45th President of the United States because of his full-throated support for this profession. And he hasn’t stopped. And he’s being rewarded.
Recently, several large law enforcement organizations have announced their endorsement for President Trump’s re-election. The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), with a reported membership of 330,000 law enforcement officers and 2,200 local chapters has announced their support for Trump’s re-election, as has the National Organization of Police Associations and the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA). Others have as well like the New York City Police Benevolent Association (PBA) the largest police union in the world. Other small to mid-size police unions have joined in, like the Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Police Association (MPA). It was very telling during the first presidential debate of 2020 when after stating that he had the support of most police organizations like the FOP and IUPA, President Trump turned toward Joe Biden and asked him directly to name one police group that endorsed his candidacy and Biden stood their speechless with that deer in the headlights stare not being able to name even one. Keep in mind that Joe Biden early on said that he supported defunding the police before he saw how it hurt him politically in polling. Then, like a chameleon changes its color, Biden changed his mind. That is typical political behavior-expedient and self-serving. Behavior you cannot count on in this critical time for law enforcement.
Is it any wonder politicians ended up second to last only above used car salesmen in a survey of trustworthy professions?
I know that a few officers disagree with the endorsement of their unions. But it’s go time. My advice is to put the survival and best interest of this profession ahead of any personal agenda. It makes President Trump the right choice. It is one team, one goal time.
Sheriff David Clarke Jr. is former Sheriff of Milwaukee Co, Wisconsin, President of AmericasSheriff LLC, Board member of the Crime Research Center, author of the book Cop Under Fire: Beyond Hashtags of Race Crime and Politics for a Better America. To learn more visit www.americassheriff.com
