“To give it a restriction meant filing a report every time one was
used,” explained Johnson, a former Florida police officer turned
attorney. “What did they want to see? ‘Somebody threw a brick at
me so I put a helmet on.’ End of report.”
The Trump Administration made it clear from the start that it
would have no use for hair-raising treatment of law enforcement.
And no here today, gone tomorrow, either. After getting elected in
2016, he immediately sent his transition team to meet with NAPO,
which offered ideas for Department of Justice grants, mandating
two-officer patrol cars and additional recommendations the
Obama Administration more or less disregarded.
The timing couldn’t have been any better for a fresh approach
and a fresh start. In July 2016, four police officers were
assassinated in Dallas. A month later, four more officers
were gunned down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
exacerbating cold-blooded attacks on the police that,
with no visible support from the government, made
the job as dangerous as it had even been.
NAPO was told to wait for Congress to act to
protect law enforcement. Truth be told, it
would have taken an act of Congress to
muster any support for law enforcement at
that time.
The Trump Administration wasted no
time in acting. Two days after the
inauguration, he held a reception
at the White House for all law
enforcement officers who
worked the event. Two
weeks later, he hosted a
group of county sheriffs
from across the country to
discuss his commitment to
securing the borders and
reducing crime.
And less than three weeks
after taking office, the
president issued his first
executive order that made
it the policy of the executive
branch to: Enforce all federal
laws to enhance the protection
and safety of federal, state, tribal
The TRUMP RALLY Publication 145