FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  / 21 July 2016  /  Contact Richard Mack  /

With the shootings in Baton Rouge, and the senseless violence of the past weeks, people are angry and afraid.  With that anger and fear, we are now witnessing calls for making things worse by restricting the Constitutional rights of American citizens in the name of security.  The head of the police union in Cleveland, site of the GOP national convention, which starts tomorrow,  has called for the governor to suspend the Constitution and prohibit the lawful and open carrying  of firearms  at or near the convention site.

CSPOA is comprised of peace officers of all  ranks and job descriptions, and we hurt when our brothers and sisters in blue are targeted.  The ambush-style killings of police are horrendous and strike at the very fabric of society, yet we must not surrender to the urge to react in a knee-jerk fashion.  Besides, open carry is the law, and even if it were repealed today, the bad guys will carry concealed, and if they intend on doing harm, there’s nothing to prevent them from acting – except good-guys with guns.  Besides, short of declaring martial law,  the governor has no authority to suspend law or the Constitution.

Another police and FBI connected source on Fox news  suggested that military troops be stationed in the streets of Cleveland to prevent violence.  Shame on him.

We strongly condemn the call to violate our Constitution system, including the rule of law.   While it seems that police have the impossible task of keeping order and at the same time staying alive, that’s what the job is about.  This is  why Americans mus support peace officers with every ounce of their energy and influence, while reserving condemnation for proven individual cases of misconduct.

And we must resist federal intrusion into state and local law enforcement.  We must keep our police local and independent of federal meddling,  while holding them accountable as servants of the people.