Dozens of law enforcement officials have signed onto a letter to declare their support for Kamala Harris‘ presidential run, while slamming her opponent Donald Trump.
A group of 101 retired and active police officers, lieutenants, county sheriffs, and deputies from across the U.S. came together to endorse the vice president, saying they believed Harris and her running mate Governor Tim Walz are “the only candidates we trust to keep our communities safe.”
Regarding Harris’ Republican rival, the officials wrote, “Donald Trump has shown he will undermine our departments and make our country more dangerous.”
In the letter shared with Newsweek, the law enforcement officials wrote that throughout Harris’ career, she has “worked side by side with law enforcement to protect the public and hold offenders accountable.”
Vice President Kamala Harris waving to media members as she arrives at Pittsburgh International Airport on Thursday. More than 100 law enforcement officials have signed a letter declaring their support for the Democrat nominee.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
They pointed to her career as prosecutor, district attorney, attorney general for California, and her time in the White House, saying that she had “partnered with law enforcement her whole career.”
The officials also wrote that Walz “heavily invested in law enforcement” as Governor of Minnesota, having approved $300 million in funding for local communities in the state.
On a press call highlighting the letter, some of the letter’s signatories expanded on their distrust of Trump — most notably, Harry Dunn, the retired U.S. Capitol Police officer who has become one of the leading law enforcement voices to speak out against Trump post- Jan. 6.
“There’s a whole host of individuals [in law enforcement] that don’t support Donald Trump,” Dunn said in response to a question from Newsweek.
“Donald Trump is all about optics. Kamala Harris is all about results and getting stuff done for people. Donald Trump can take a million pictures with police officers and he will. He’ll just tout that rather than doing effective work like Vice President Harris will do.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Harry Dunn. Dunn and other officers expressed their support for Harris’s presidential run.
Getty
Some of those officers who spoke on the call slammed Trump for using police as a “photo op,” standing next to cops at rallies and at the convention “like a political pawn.”
“Vice President Harris has demonstrated that she’s going to take the high road,” Durham Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said. “She’s not going to parade us out like puppets, but she’s going to stand with us and her record demonstrates that.”
In the open letter, the law enforcement officials wrote, “Trump has repeatedly shown he does not respect law enforcement or the rule of law.”
They pointed to how Trump has proposed cuts to law enforcement funding and that he previously boasted to the NRA he “did nothing” about guns during his term in office.
They added that during his presidency, the rate of murder in the country “spiked more than any other time in history over a one-year period.”
This spike has been attributed to the outbreak of COVID-19, as well as the social unrest following the murder of George Floyd, rather than actions taken by Trump as president, PolitiFact noted.
The officials also referred to the former president’s conviction of 34 felony counts in May, and accused Trump of responding by attacking the system.
Newsweek has contacted the campaigns of Harris and Trump for comment via email.
In conclusion, the officials wrote that the American people had a choice “between someone who spent her career enforcing our laws and someone who has been convicted of breaking them,” echoing a framing Harris has repeatedly used in campaigning against Trump.
“Vice President Harris will stand alongside law enforcement officers to keep America safe, while Donald Trump will sow chaos, defund critical law enforcement agencies, and put all Americans at risk,” they added.
Both Trump and Harris’ campaigns have positioned their candidates as the best choice to protect law and order.
Speaking in Michigan last month, Trump said Harris would “deliver crime, chaos, destruction, and death” if she becomes president, and that there would be “levels of crime that you’ve never seen before.”
He said he, however, would deliver “law, order, safety, and peace.”
Update 9/6/24 10:20 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with new information from a campaign press call attended by Newsweek.
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