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Cops react to Trump’s ‘don’t be too nice’ comments

Whether Trump’s comments were said in jest or serious, the reaction was strong

By Police1 Staff

During a speech on Friday about his administration’s crackdown on the violent MS-13 street gang, President Donald Trump sparked controversy over comments about cops being “too nice” to suspects being taken into custody. Trump told the crowd, “Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put their hand over? Like, don’t hit their head and they’ve just killed somebody — don’t hit their head. I said, you can take the hand away, okay?”

Whether Trump’s comments were said in jest or serious, the reaction was strong – with many police leaders condemning Trump’s statements. The IACP was among the first to issue a response, saying “Law enforcement officers are trained to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, suspect, or defendant, with dignity and respect. This is the bedrock principle behind the concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy.”

Throughout the weekend, more weighed in from police agencies across the nation.

“Our job got tougher last Friday,” Major Cities Chiefs Police Association President and Montgomery County (Md.) Chief Tom Manger said. “As a cop for the past 40 years, I was appalled when I heard the President of the United States condone injuring an individual in police custody. This violates our Constitution, our department policy, and the public trust.”

The Boston Police Department told the Boston Globe: “The Boston Police Department’s priority has been and continues to be building relationships and trust with the community we serve. As a police department, we are committed to helping people, not harming them.”

Others were quick to defend the president. National Fraternal Order of Police President Chuck Canterbury said Trump reaffirmed his “very strong support” for LEOs in the speech and his “off the cuff comments on policing are sometimes taken all too literally by the media and professional police critics: the President knows, just as every cop out there knows, that our society does not, and should not, tolerate the mistreatment or prejudgment of any individual at any point in the criminal justice process.”

Detective Stephen Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen’s Association, said in a statement to CNN: “Not surprisingly, (Trump’s) comments have been completely taken out of context by the racially exclusive and divisive profiteers seeking to call into question his support of all law abiding citizens and the law enforcement that live and work among them.”

What’s your take on the issue? Sound off in the comments.

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