On Tuesday, the 12,000-member Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM) disgraced itself by endorsing Donald Trump for president. At a campaign event in Grand Rapids, Trump supporters cheered as uniformed officers flanked the former president — who’s facing dozens of criminal charges in four different indictments, and was already found liable for sexual abuse. The spectacle of police officers supporting a man indicted in two states and in two federal jurisdictions raises the question: What exactly are they endorsing?
POAM President Jim Tignanelli noted that his group first endorsed Trump in the 2016 election. “In the midst of a rapidly changing political landscape,” he argued, “it’s imperative for organizations representing law enforcement to endorse candidates who prioritize safety, security, and the well-being of communities.” I’m not a big fan of police engaging in any politically partisan activities, but since Tignanelli wants to go there, let’s try and figure out what he meant.
Endorsing a man who refers to migrants as animals, and was found liable for sexual assault, is anathema to the law enforcement mission.
Maybe, since Trump used the event to focus on border security, the police representative might have referred to a perception that undocumented migrants are causing a coast-to-coast violent crime spree. That’s certainly the picture that Trump was painting. The former president referred to undocumented migrants as “animals” and accused President Joe Biden of being responsible for a “bloodbath” at the southern border.
Except, that’s not what the facts tell us. Law enforcement is supposed to be about gathering facts to use as evidence. The facts, convenient or not, tell us that crimes rates are down in cities that receive the most migrants. An NBC News review of “available 2024 crime data from the cities targeted by Texas’ “Operation Lone Star,” which buses or flies migrants from the border to major cities in…
Read the full article here
