By Morgan Palmer
Foster’s Daily Democrat
DURHAM, N.H. — Despite receiving an endorsement from the New England Police Benevolent Association last week, GOP frontrunner and billionaire businessman Donald Trump will not receive an endorsement from the Durham Police Department or its union.
The New England Police Benevolent Association (NEPBA) endorsed Trump during a meeting at the Portsmouth Sheraton Harborside Hotel on Dec. 10.
Durham Police Sergeant and Durham Police Officers Union President Kathryn Mone said the union will not endorse Trump or any other candidate, as it has a long-standing policy of non-involvement in the political arena.
“The Durham Police Officers’ Union Local 21 … does not involve itself in political issues and never endorses any political candidate for any office at any level,” Mone said.
Mone said while the Durham Police Department is a member of NEPBA, the main purpose is to receive legal assistance when required. According to Mone, members of the Local 21 union did not attend the October 15 NEPBA conference when their executive force, who later endorsed Trump, was elected.
“It should be pointed out that Local 21 had no involvement and provided no input to the NEPBA prior to the recent NEPBA endorsement of a candidate in a major political race,” Mone said.
Following the NEPBA’s endorsement of Trump, a handful of Durham residents reached out to the union to express concerns on Trump’s political stance and how it would relate to the department, Mone said.
“We are only looking to benefit our membership of our local community,” Mone said. “We don’t have any political motivations at all.”
Durham Police Chief David Kurz, who is not represented by the union, said it is not the department’s role to endorse political candidates.
“The Trump candidacy is, at this moment, ripe with discrimination and categorizing people,” Kurz said, “which is everything the Durham Police Department … doesn’t want to be associated with.”
Kurz said the department will not endorse any political candidate so long as he is chief.
“For this umbrella group to do that (endorse Trump) ... it placed us in a really tenuous position,” Kurz said. “Policing in this community is going to be consistent and have a blind eye to outside forces.”
Town Administrator Todd Selig said the endorsement of a presidential candidate by the local police department could cause residents to feel discriminated against if they have opposing views.
“As public officials we have to be very mindful to be impartial so that there is no hint of favoritism or exclusion in our public efforts,” Selig said. “There is a sense amongst many Americans that Donald Trump has expressed views that are offensive or xenophobic. The thought that a local police department would endorse such views was really disconcerting for these citizens.”
The Durham Police Officers Union and Durham Police Department were not the first to take a step back from the NEPBA’s endorsement. Portsmouth Acting Deputy Police Chief Frank Warchol issued a statement on December 11 clarifying that the department does not endorse any local or national political candidates.
Copyright 2015 the Foster’s Daily Democrat