The election of Donald Trump has emboldened police in the U.S., who say they have been under siege. They are hopeful about what his presidency will mean for them, NPR reports. In his victory speech, Trump mentioned, “law enforcement in New York City… These are spectacular people, sometimes underappreciated unfortunately. But we appreciate them. We know what they go through.”
Retired police detective Joe Locus called the comment “just refreshing. That’s what really drew me to Donald Trump in the first place.”
Jim Pasco of the Fraternal Order of Police, which endorsed Trump, says, “I’ve seen a level of resolve and commitment on the part of our membership unlike any in some long time.” NPR says FOP hopes “for more federal grants for training and gear, money that they hope President Trump will be more able to coax out of the Republican Congress. But just as important for them is the sense that the Obama administration was too adversarial, that the Justice Department especially was too quick to come down hard on police departments in need of reform.” (Pasco cited “police departments being victimized by an overzealous Justice Department.”)