“If you encounter ANY law enforcement officer who is a Trump supporter, you should do everything you can to get that officer fired.”
I value the feedback our readers provide about the articles I write, even the feedback that is not positive. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even bad ones.
I will debate people when I disagree with their opinion. I will stay respectful and argue on the merit of the ideas at hand, if my ‘opponent’ does the same. I rarely inject myself into other people’s conversations. But there are times when I have no choice but to open my mouth. This is one of those times.
A reader who self-identified as Michael Jaquish chimed in on one of the pieces we ran back in September, written by Ashley McMann. That article (shared below) was regarding a police union endorsing President Trump for the 2020 campaign.
Here is what he had to say.
“I read in an article by Ashley McMann that a police union has endorsed Trump for the 2020 election claiming that ‘no US President has been no supportive of law enforcement.
The first paragraph read; “No matter which side of the political aisle you’re on, or whether you have no side at all, it’s hard to argue that there has been a President in recent history that has been more publicly supportive of Law Enforcement than the current one.” -Ashley McMann | Sep 22, 2019
Really??? I happen to be a retired police chief and find this statement incredible and extremely out of touch with reality.
Who is Ashley McMann? Only someone who has not been paying any attention during the last three years would say such a thing. Doesn’t the FBI count as a law enforcement agency?
Trump has denigrated the FBI constantly since taking office and ruined the careers of two highly respected FBI Directors and accused the FBI of being political and out to get him when they have only been doing their jobs.
Law enforcement officers take an oath to preserve and protect the constitution and laws of the United States of America. Trump has committed countless crimes before and after being elected and the list is growing constantly.
How could ANY law enforcement officer think this is good? Every US President ever elected has supported law enforcement because it would be political suicide to do otherwise.
Trump has encouraged law enforcement officers to actually break the law by instructing ICE and Border Patrol officers to break the law and other law enforcement officers to feel free to assault those they take into custody by NOT using care to keep suspects from hitting their heads on the car when being taken into custody.
The national association of police chiefs (an organization I was once a member of) condemned these remarks. If you encounter ANY law enforcement officer who is a Trump supporter, you should do everything you can to get that officer fired.”
A quick online search of Michael Jaquish shows that he’s a pastry chef turned police chief turned author of books we’ve never heard of.
Our sources close to the small town department where there was once a Chief of Police named Michael Jaquish tell us that “his service to the community was no longer needed”, but for obvious reasons didn’t elaborate on what that meant.
You don’t have to be an author to be able to read between the lines.
Ok. Here is where I insert myself into someone else’s conversation.
Dear reader, thank you for your service as a law enforcement officer and chief. You have my respect for that. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback to us regarding the content of the article you read and took exception to. Your opinion is valued. Apparently, that will be a one-way street considering that you completely disregard the opinion of the article’s writer.
Allow me to respond to your criticisms in the order in which you gave them.
First, allegedly being a retired police chief does not give you greater access to “reality.” You may have seen things that the average person hasn’t. That simply speaks to your experiences. Your experience is real to you. They have no impact on what is real to other people.
Secondly, you ask who Ashley is.
First and foremost, she is a patriotic American who loves and supports our law enforcement community. Next, if you would have read the entire article instead of just the first paragraph, you would see that at the bottom is a bio.
Here is what Ashley’s bio says:
The granddaughter of a police officer, Ashley McMann pursued her education in Criminal Justice graduating with her bachelor’s degree from Charter Oak State University.
Ashley currently works full-time in state government as well as being an Animal Control Officer part-time for a midsize police department. Ashley brings a unique perspective working in both the law enforcement community and with individuals that pass the laws that police enforce.
She loves good eats, good drinks and having lively insightful discussions and debates!
Do you now have a better view of who she is?
I take exception to your idea that only people who have not paid attention for the past 3 years could believe or say such a thing. I have been paying a lot of attention to this administration. I happen to agree with what she stated in the article. And here is why.
This President has given law enforcement officers and agents the ability to enforce the law, while his predecessor showed his disdain for law enforcement on multiple occasions.
Yes, the FBI is a law enforcement agency. But your next comments are asinine at best. Has Trump denigrated the FBI as a whole? No. Has he gone after agents that were weaponizing their capacity to inflict political influence? Absolutely.
Do you need examples? I assume the FBI Directors you are referring to are Comey and McCabe. Need I remind you that the “highly respected” McCabe was fired for lying, or that Comey perjured himself during testimony to Congress?
And your thought process that no one in the FBI is out to get him and they are only doing their job need only be responded to with three words: Agent Peter Strzok!
You also correctly assert that officer take an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Yet we have many officers in leadership positions who forget that. From sheriffs and police chiefs who refuse to assist federal agencies in enforcing the law, to rogue federal agents who take it upon themselves to impact the national political landscape, there are those in law enforcement who seem to have forgotten what the Constitution is all about.
There is no longer room for them in law enforcement.
Trump has committed countless crimes, before and after election? Care to point to a single thing that Trump has been convicted of? Not one of these contrived witch-hunt types of crime that are all baseless, but an actual crime. No? Ok. Moving on.
No sir. Every President ever elected has not supported law enforcement. Ironically, it didn’t turn out to be political suicide. Why? Because there is a cop-hating culture growing in our country, making it less safe for the men and women in blue.
They are in danger of being ambushed every day, simply because of the uniform that they wear.
Perhaps you have read some of the articles we have written that have detailed the horrors that take place on our streets and the life altering impact they have on our law enforcement members and their families.
I welcome you to provide accurate accounts of the times that the President has ICE and CBP to break the law. The truth of the matter is this: he has given those agencies the latitude and freedom to do their jobs in upholding federal law.
And lastly, thank you for showing us exactly where you stand. Much like Peter Strzok, you have no tolerance for someone who would dare vote for or support Donald Trump, especially members of law enforcement. In fact, your exact words were:
“If you encounter ANY law enforcement officer who is a Trump supporter, you should do everything you can to get that officer fired.”
So that reality you were referring to earlier includes doing whatever necessary to get a cop fired because of his or her political affiliations. That’s mighty tolerant of you.
And what exactly do you mean by ‘everything you can?’
See, I take that very literally. I must assume you mean anything within one’s capability.
I can lie. I can slander. I am can defame someone. I can plant evidence. I can cheat and steal. I can make false accusations.
I do not do those things, because I am a man of faith and integrity, and I am trying to raise my sons to be the same.
So, you don’t really mean that I should do everything I can, do you? Or do you?
Perhaps you are one those people that believes winning at all cost is ok. Perhaps you can sleep at night knowing that your shady actions cost a hard-working, honest cop their job, their reputation and the welfare of their family. Maybe the reality you live in allows you to be that callous and heartless.
The world I live in does not allow me to be that reckless with other people’s lives and well-being.
So, thank you again for taking the time to reach out to us here at Law Enforcement Today. Your feedback is always welcome. I will now extricate myself from someone else’s conversation.
And what of the article that led to this feedback? Here what we published that angered this retired chief.
Love him or hate him, President Donald Trump has stood with law enforcement officers, vowing to bring them back to a position of honor and respect. A far cry from others who have created an environment that has allowed for the current war on our police to reach critical levels.
If you take some time and wade through the many inaccurate news stories regarding the President, and tune out the news stations that are continuing to dredge up the same narratives, you will find one major positive consistent message- President Donald Trump loves and respects the men and women in law enforcement.
In recent months President Trump defended the NYPD officers that have seen a rash of attacks against their ranks with water and other items being thrown on them while on duty. The President tweeted in July:
“We love our Law Enforcement Officers all around this great Country. What took place in NYC with water being tossed on NYPD officers was a total disgrace,” he also challenged Mayor Bill de Blasio to take action “It is time for Mayor Bill de Blasio to STAND UP for those who protect our lives and serve us all so well.”
On September 9th, the President honored police officers who responded to the mass shooting that took place in Dayton, Ohio presenting them with Medal of Valor. He went on to praise the officers
“They rose up, they defied fear, they stared down death to protect the innocent, and stand tall they did just for righteous and for good.”:
These are only a small sampling of what the current President has done to show his support and appreciation for the Thin Blue Line.
Because the President has been so openly supportive of Police and initiatives to make communities safer for both law enforcement and citizens, on Monday September 9th The International Union of Police Associations endorsed President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.
As reported by Courthouse News Service:
“In a statement Monday, IUPA President Sam Cabral said Trump made communities safer by signing executive orders to equip police with life-saving military equipment, championing the Mental Health and Wellness Act – which improved police access to mental health services – and providing funds to hire more law enforcement officers.”
Cabral also went on to state, “[President Trump] has even undone some of the harmful acts of his predecessor.”
The reasoning behind why the union chose to support the Republican President over that many [emphasis on the many] democratic candidates who are vying for the highest office in the nation:
“Every top Democrat currently running for this office has vilified the police and made criminals out to be victims. They seem to take any union’s support for granted. Many of them still refer to the tragedy in Ferguson as a murder, despite the conclusions of every investigative inquiry to the contrary. While his candor ruffles the feathers of the left, I find it honest and refreshing. He stands with America’s law enforcement officer and we will continue to stand with him.” IUPA President Cabral stated.
For anyone that might argue that his support for police is, “just for show”, it can be confirmed that this is far from a campaign strategy. Long before Donald Trump became President there are confirmed reports of him at ground zero multiple times supporting the first responders after the horrific terrorist attacks that took place on September 11th, 2001.
Former NYC Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik who served at the time of September 11th gave an interview with Breitbart Newsstating:
“I must have seen [Donald Trump] down there — I don’t know — I want to say between five and ten times walking through Ground Zero, talking to the first responders — motivating, inspiring, whatever you want to call it — and he wasn’t the only one.”
He went on to explain:
“People normally didn’t come down [to Ground Zero] unless there was a camera around.”
Some have criticized the President accusing him of lying about being at the site of the fallen towers, but Kerik quickly came to his defense explaining:
“I ran into [Donald Trump] numerous times. He thanked me. He thanked us for what we were doing, and then I heard his comments yesterday. I didn’t think a thing of it.
I was sitting right in front of him, and then I saw an article last night written by somebody at CNN criticizing him for saying that he was there with an inference that he was not, which is a lie. He was there. … I was there at Ground Zero when [Donald Trump] would walk through there and thank everybody he came across.”
Kerik went on to state, President Trump is:
“Very supportive of law enforcement! Nobody has to tell me how supportive [Donald Trump] is of the men and women in law enforcement and the military. I know. I’ve known the guy 25 years.”
Regarding the formal endorsement from The International Union of Police Associations, Trump Campaign Manager Brad Parscale released a statement September 9th stating:
“The President stands behind police and honors them for risking their lives daily. Too often today, law enforcement officers are treated as scapegoats, when in fact their jobs are incredibly difficult, dangerous, and depend on life-or-death, split-second decision-making.
This union endorsement of President Trump means a great deal, because not only does the president stand for working people, he also stands for law enforcement.”
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