Tag: safety
Police Unions Enraged By Trump's January 6 Pardons As Republicans Defend Them

Police Unions Enraged By Trump's January 6 Pardons As Republicans Defend Them

House Republicans are at odds with the nation’s two largest public safety unions over President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon violent rioters who assaulted police officers.

Trump granted clemency on Jan. 21 to all 1,500 rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Capitol police officers were beaten and tased during the attack. Some were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) issued a joint statement shortly after Trump announced the pardons.

“Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety — they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law,” the statement said. “Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families.”

The IACP and FOP combined represent more than 410,000 law enforcement professionals. The FOP endorsed Trump’s 2024 campaign.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), meanwhile, defended Trump’s decision.

“We believe in redemption, we believe in second chances,” Johnson said. “You could argue that those people didn’t pay that heavy penalty, having been incarcerated and all of that. That’s up to you. But the president made a decision. We move forward. There are better days ahead of us.”

Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) told ABC News that voters wanted Trump to pardon the rioters.

“[Trump] did exactly what he campaigned on,” Emmer said. “He said what he was going to do when elected and he was elected by an overwhelming group of Americans. Seventy-seven million Americans gave Donald Trump a mandate.”

Republican Policy Committee Chair Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) voiced a similar sentiment.

“Only in politics do you get criticized for doing the things that you say you’re going to do,” Hern said. “That's what President Trump ran on — that he was going to pardon many if not all of the January 6 people that were convicted.”

Some of the pardoned rioters have committed other crimes.

Andrew Taake of Texas was convicted of assaulting Capitol police officers with a metal whip and bear spray. He is currently wanted by Harris County police for sexually soliciting a minor online.

David Daneil of North Carolina was convicted of using a barricade to trample a police officer. He was charged with producing and possessing child pornography in October 2024.

Emily Hernandez of Missouri was charged with stealing federal property during the riot. She was arrested last month for killing someone while driving drunk.

An AP-NORC poll from January found that only 20 percent of voters supported pardoning the rioters.

Reprinted with permission from American Journal News.

Three Everyday Carry Accessories To Add To Your Keychain — Up To 25 Percent Off

Three Everyday Carry Accessories To Add To Your Keychain — Up To 25 Percent Off

Keychains are… well, keychains. You don’t think much about ‘em, really. They hold your keys in place, they slip into your pocket without notice, they serve their role and you go about your day.

But that’s selling the keychain short. That constant traveling companion can offer so much more than life as a simple key sherpa. We thought long and hard about this at The National Memo Store and we’ve come up with some ideas – all accompanied with big discounts, of course – that may make you rethink exactly what your keychain could and should be.

Key Safe

Why should a keychain simply hold keys? Key Safe says it doesn’t have to. Just hook this tough steel cylinder to your ring and you’ve got a safe, secure compartment to store cash, medication, sentimental things — basically, any small object you want to keep a constant eye on. It’s waterproof and it comes in sleek black or stainless steel varieties.

Buy now: Key Safe is 10% off the $19.95 MSRP right now, for only $17.95.

Beta-QR Quick Release Keychain Flashlight

Another perfect accessory for the wannabe Boy Scout who endeavors to be ready for anything. This aluminum casing keychain LED flashlight is several times more powerful than a much bigger D-cell-driven Mag-Lite — yet runs off a standard AAA battery and clips effortlessly to your ring. When you’re ready to use it, it’s got a quick release feature to quickly detach it from the ring — not to mention high color rendering light that throws back maximum color visibility without natural daylight. Did we mention it’s also super-small?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ybrfCGLGtAk%3Flist%3DUUEdJeiDK2r7DMJTLZchkmKQ

Buy now: Quit fumbling around the dark with this bad boy, now also 10 percent off at $52.99.

Orbitkey 2.0 with Multitool

Save the key swarms for the janitor. Step up to a more refined, more functional keychain with this stylish key organizer. The Orbitkey 2.0 holds up to 7 keys efficiently with a canvas and leather build that looks as cool as it is sturdy and durable. Best of all, it comes with a multi-tool that serves as a bottle opener, box cutter, hex wrench, screwdriver and file. Ruthless functionality within an economy of space… what more could you ask for?

Buy now: With this limited time deal, the Orbitkey is available now for only $34.90, a 25% discount.

For a limited time, you can use code BYESUMMER for an additional 15% off these great deals and more. Shop our summer blowout sale here. (Thru September 4th.)

This sponsored post is brought to you by StackCommerce.  

Study Illuminates The Way Cops Die In The Line Of Duty

Study Illuminates The Way Cops Die In The Line Of Duty

Slow down, buckle up and take special care around fighting family members.

Sounds like wisdom a parent might bestow. But, in layman’s terms, those are the recommendations of a new study of law enforcement deaths while on duty.

In short, police will be more likely to return home safely after their shifts if more of them wear seat belts, take more care when racing to high-priority calls, wear their issued body armor and remember that calls involving domestic disturbances are often the most dangerous.

The release of the report by the U.S. Justice Department is well timed. It provides a striking counterbalance to a lot of rhetoric of late that aims to compel the public to choose sides between protecting blue lives and black lives — as if we can’t do both.

The report, “Deadly Calls and Fatal Encounters,” was being finalized as the nation reeled from the July ambush murders of five police officers in Dallas, followed by three more officers shot and killed by yet another deranged man in Baton Rouge, La.

Those murders understandably piqued fears for the lives of law enforcement. But some advocates of “law and order” have overreached, falsely accusing the Black Lives Matter movement of stoking violence against police.

There are tensions between citizens and police in low-income communities across the nation where homicide rates are high and police presence is heavy. But they have existed for years. That’s the point. The protests – even the most outrageous ones that brought vandalism, looting and police lines being pelted with bottles and rocks — weren’t the result of one incident. They are the result of cumulative outrage.

And it’s patently unfair to decide that the many voices involved in the Black Lives Matter movement — and they are widely varied — can be blamed for all of the dangers to law enforcement.

The report illustrates that many of the fatal dangers for police are not easily categorized. The report emphasizes that “no call is routine,” and complacency can result in an officer’s death. But there is much that can be done to alleviate their risks.

Analyzing 684 deaths of officers between 2010 and 2014, the report dug deep into the circumstances, finding parallels in the types of calls, what information was available to officers and how they responded.

Traffic accidents took the most police lives by far, accounting for 272 deaths. When police officers were shot and killed, most often it was in dealing with a domestic dispute. Often police officers died when answering calls alone, not waiting for backup or when pertinent information about the suspect being armed was not relayed to them. That finding calls for better training, coordination with dispatch operators and changes to the ways information is disseminated by radio, tablets and computers in patrol cars.

Ninety-one officers were killed while responding to a call for service, such as 911. Forty-one died in self-initiated calls, including cases where an officer made an investigatory traffic stop. An additional 134 officers were shot while not responding to a call. Those deaths included officers being ambushed in unprovoked attacks and those killed while serving a warrant, during tactical operations or while doing follow-up investigations.

Interestingly, semi-automatic weapons aren’t the firearms that most often take officer’s lives. In 71 percent of the cases studied, the officers died by a handgun. That makes sense. Handguns are popular in many an American home, which relates back to the domestic disturbance-related deaths. Yet in 21 percent of the deaths studied, officers were shot by high-powered rifles, leading to recommendations for body armor and possibly ballistic panels for patrol cars.

When it comes to shootings of police officers or by them, we’re increasingly being fed polarizing narratives: the police as prejudiced and above the law vs. the police as heroes with targets on their backs.

Reality is much more complex, and to come to grips with it we need access to the facts. Better data exist for cases in which officers killed in the line of duty than for cases of officers shooting civilians. The FBI is the clearinghouse for the latter cases, but law enforcement agencies don’t always report up the line.

As much as people like to argue that their feelings and perspectives matter, facts will bring us together to solve the problems of police violence. Better data, and reports that take the time to drill down into those data, are necessary. It’s the only way to spot problems and correct them.

After all, the goal of a civil society ought to be for citizen and officer to return safely to their homes at night.

(Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star. Readers may write to her at: Kansas City Star, 1729 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Mo. 64108-1413, or via e-mail at msanchez@kcstar.com.)

Photo: A Dallas police sergeant wears a mourning band on his badge during a prayer vigil in a park following the multiple police shooting in Dallas. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

TSA Finds 20 Percent More Guns In Carry-On Bags In 2015, And Most Are Loaded

TSA Finds 20 Percent More Guns In Carry-On Bags In 2015, And Most Are Loaded

By Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times (TNS)

Airport security screeners in the U.S. found a record high number of firearms in carry-on bags last year, and most of them were loaded, officials said.

The Transportation Security Administration said it found 2,653 firearms, 20 percent more than in 2014, and that 83 percent of them contained ammunition.

The agency suggested that the increase may be the result of better search techniques by airport screeners, although a moderate uptick in the number of travelers also may have contributed.

“The transport of firearms by commercial air in carry-on bags represents a threat to the safety and security of air travelers,” TSA Administrator Peter V. Neffenger said. “Through increased training in detection methods, our officers are becoming more adept at intercepting these prohibited items.”

Firearms were discovered in carry-ons at 236 airports last year, the TSA said. Those with the most were:

—Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with 153 firearms found

—Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, with 144

—Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport, with 100

—Denver International Airport, with 90

—Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, with 73

All weapons, including guns, knives and ammunition, as well as inert bombs and realistic props made to look like firearms, are prohibited in carry-on bags on commercial planes.

Travelers who bring firearms to an airport checkpoint can face criminal charges and fines.

The TSA said it screened 708 million passengers in 2015, up about 6 percent from the previous year.

©2016 Los Angeles Times. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Photo: A man walks past an exhibit booth for firearms manufacturer Sig Sauer at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Chicago, Illinois, October 26, 2015.     REUTERS/Jim Young 

Shop our Store

Headlines

Editor's Blog

Corona Virus

Trending

World