100 law enforcement officers support Harris

Just over 100 police officers supported Vice President Harris on Friday ahead of former President Trump’s speech to the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

In a letter signed by 101 law enforcement officials, the group said Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) “are the only candidates we trust to keep our communities safe.”

The group cited Harris’ work as a prosecutor, district attorney and attorney general, tackling issues ranging from child sexual abuse to transnational crime organizations. It also noted that the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan, which President Biden signed into law in 2021, included public safety investments for states to hire and retain officers.

Also noted was Walz’s investment in Minnesota law enforcement, including $300 million in public safety training and community engagement.

The group argued that Trump “has repeatedly demonstrated that he has no respect for law enforcement or the rule of law,” and pointed to the fact that the former president had said he would pardon those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, while police officers were injured during the riot.

“This November, Americans will choose between someone who has spent her entire career upholding our laws and someone who has been convicted of breaking them,” the group wrote.

Trump will speak before the FOP National Board of Trustees in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday, Spectrum News 1 reported.

Agents who signed the letter for Harris came from Colorado, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Illinois, Virginia and New York, among other places. They included ranks such as sheriff, police chief, retired chief of police, retired detective, captain, state trooper and FBI agent.

Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who unsuccessfully ran in the Maryland Democratic primary, signed the letter.

Crime is a hot-button issue that Republicans campaigned on in 2022 and are continuing to use on the campaign trail in 2024. They are using crime in big blue cities as a talking point against Biden and Democrats.

Biden in March touted a drop in crime in 2023, citing Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) data showing an 11 percent drop in crime in U.S. cities with populations of more than 1 million compared to 2022, a 13 percent drop in homicides overall and a 6 percent drop in violent crime.