Last Friday, President Trump gave a speech about gang violence that clearly endorsed aggressive police tactics. “Please don’t be too nice,” he said, arguing that police officers should be rough and shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not they are hurting individuals under arrest as they take them into custody.
Last year, close to 1,000 people were killed by police in the US. The kind of tactics Trump endorsed last week dehumanize victims of police brutality and help create a culture that will certainly lead to additional deaths. We cannot let these comments go by unopposed.
Police departments around the country, including Suffolk County where he made the speech, pushed back and publicly opposed his comments, stating that police officers in their departments are expected to treat everyone they encounter, including those under arrest, with dignity and respect.
Today, we are asking you to take a few moments to call your county sheriff’s department and ask them to join these police departments in publicly opposing Trump’s comments on police brutality and reaffirming their commitment to treating those in their custody with respect.
You can find a call script and contact information below.
Call Script:
Hi my name is [NAME], and I live in [city/township]. I am concerned about the comments that President Trump made last Friday endorsing aggressive police tactics against those in custody and am calling to find out what your department’s position is on his comments. [RESPONSE]
Would your department be willing to make a public statement opposing these comments and the “rough” tactics that Trump supports?
Thank you for you time.
Contact Information:
Montgomery County Sheriff Phil Plummer: (937) 225-4192 or [email protected]
Green County Sheriff Gene Fischer: (937) 562-4800
Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth: 740.335.6170