The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), which supported President Donald Trump's election in 2016, 2020, and 2024, yesterday criticized his blanket pardon for people charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. The FOP, the country's largest police union, is troubled by the president's clemency for Trump supporters who assaulted police officers while expressing their outrage at a supposedly stolen election.
"Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety," the FOP said in a joint statement with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). "They are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law. Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families. When perpetrators of crimes, especially serious crimes, are not held fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence."
Spreading the blame around, the FOP and the IACP roped former President Joe Biden into their critique of misguided clemency for people convicted of violence against police officers. The organizations cited "long standing and positive relationships with both President Trump and President Biden," thanking them for "their support of the policing profession." But they added that they are "deeply discouraged by the recent pardons and commutations granted by both the Biden and Trump Administrations to individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers."
