CINCINNATI — After President Donald Trump pardoned about 1,500 Jan. 6 rioters, some police organizations are condemning the move.
The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump during all three presidential campaigns, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police released a joint statement Tuesday night.
In the statement, the organizations said they are "deeply discouraged" by the recent pardons and commutations granted by former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump for those convicted of killing or assaulting officers.
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"It sends a dangerous message that the consequences for attacking law enforcement are not severe, potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence," part of the statement reads.
"It's frustrating. It sends a terrible message to law enforcement," said Ken Kober, president of the Cincinnati FOP.
Kober says the Cincinnati Police Department is still about 140 officers short of being fully staffed and explained the impact these pardons could have on recruiting efforts.
"If people believe that they can just go out freely and assault law enforcement and that there's going to be little to no consequence, it certainly could have an impact on policing recruiting retention," Kober said.
Kober was also critical of Biden for commuting the sentence of Daryl Lawrence, who was on death row but is now serving a life sentence. A federal jury convicted Lawrence of killing Columbus Police Officer Bryan Hurst, while he was working at a Columbus Fifth Third Bank in 2005.
"He was a partner of a friend of mine that worked up there and was murdered in a bank robbery and President Biden commuted his sentence. A guy that's a convicted cop killer and that was bad enough, that really hit home," Kober said. "I think the biggest reason this (was) done right now is, you know, politics are being picked over policing."
Cincinnati City Council member Scotty Johnson condemned Trump's pardons for the Jan. 6 defendants.
"The President, I believe kicked us in the gut," Johnson said. "We can never send that message that it's OK to enact violence on anybody and then specifically on law enforcement officers and then act like it's no big deal. The president blew it on this and that's how the majority of our law enforcement officers feel."
Like the FOP and IACP, some lawyers, former federal investigators and experts who follow extremism are concerned this could embolden extremists and make political violence more common.
“This move doesn’t just rewrite the narrative of Jan. 6,” said Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. “It sets a dangerous precedent that political violence is a legitimate tool in American democracy.”
Plenty of the charges filed in the sprawling investigation didn’t involve violence, and many who received clemency seem ready to move on with their lives. But for some, it could become a megaphone, said Michael Premo, director of the documentary “Homegrown,” which followed three right-wing activists, including a Proud Boy who participated in the riot.
"This (is) going to build that base of support so when the next election cycle comes around ... there’s the potential for Trump to hold onto power or to ensure his successor comes into office,” Premo said.
