Members of the House Committee on Homeland Security recently discussed concerns about rising anti-law enforcement sentiment and its connection to an increase in violent attacks against officers. The committee's hearing brought together experienced law enforcement leaders who provided insight into the factors contributing to hostility toward personnel at local, state, and federal levels.
Representative Brad Knott (R-NC) spoke on SiriusXM Patriot’s “The Wilkow Majority” about the dangers in areas where officials support policies seen as anti-law enforcement. He stated, “They’re going beyond just encouraging. They’re facilitating. They’re coordinating. They are assisting people who are obstructing investigations… These go well beyond the First Amendment. That’s not just speech. That is obstructive behavior… The Department of Justice is very much looking at it, and candidly, I think that they’re overwhelmed because in these blue states, the citizens in blue states are being very much harmed by the effects of illegal immigration. And then you have the city governments who are obstructing the removal of illegal immigrants. So, there are too many factors here to address in a short time, but there need to be charges. And if you obstruct a federal law enforcement action, that is an illegal act. And some of the clear examples that we see on camera every day, some of those folks need to be prosecuted.”
On “The Fox News Rundown” podcast, Representative Gabe Evans (R-CO) discussed how negative rhetoric about law enforcement can undermine public safety and impact recruitment and retention efforts across agencies nationwide. According to Evans: “There were many sentiments expressed by these officers, saying that frustrations around the policies being made by lawmakers who haven’t worked in law enforcement themselves are driving a lot of these recruitment and retention problems… When you have mayors or governors that are pushing sanctuary state policies that handcuff cops, that’s devastating to morale. That’s devastating to recruiting and retention. I’ve seen that personally. And agencies all around the country are experiencing that recruiting and retention shortage, and it goes directly to the rhetoric that comes from elected leadership.”
Representative Sheri Biggs (R-SC), speaking on SiriusXM Patriot’s “David Webb Show,” highlighted how testimony during the hearing reflected real-world challenges for officers caused by anti-law enforcement attitudes: “The hearing yesterday focused on how we can address this anti-law enforcement rhetoric because all it’s doing is fueling the violence against officers. And, of course, the morale is collapsing under that constant political pressure… Not only do we have to worry about the individuals, but they are concerned about the safety of their families… We heard some heartfelt testimonies of the real challenges. I work alongside some people, whether it’s in the Guard or in the past that have faced these issues, and it’s scary. And I think they really show courage and what they do every day. And we should be holding them up and supporting them instead of supporting these thugs that are trying to harm them or hurt their families.”
On SiriusXM POTUS’s “The Briefing with Steve Scully,” Representative Tony Gonzales (R-TX) called for bipartisan cooperation aimed at improving protections for law enforcement: “Keeping our law enforcement safe should not be partisan, right? We can have policy discussions on what we think needs to happen. But police officers should not be afraid to do their job. And that’s what is happening… We need to tone down the rhetoric. We need to get to policies that focus on keeping everyone safe. All Americans deserve to be safe.”
