Since the Ferguson, Missouri riots in 2015 over the death of Michael Brown – a robbery suspect who was attacking a police officer – the Left has portrayed police as villains.
In 2020, the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the hands of one officer, triggered vilification and violence against police officers as a group. It is stereotyping at its worst.
Most Democrats and their political allies have supported defunding and dismantling police departments.
The leftist drumbeat of anti-police bigotry is having the intended effect. Retirements and resignations are up, recruitment is down, officers are demoralized, and criminals are having a field day. Crime is out of control, and most cities are releasing career criminals with violent records. Crime is more brazen than at any time we can remember.
Over 100 officers have been shot in the line of duty this year, including 17 killed. This is a 43% increase compared to the number of officers shot during the same time period in 2021 and a 63% increase compared to 2020.
While officers are accused of racist murders of black suspects, over 9,000 black Americans were murdered in 2020, an increase of 2500 over 2019. The attacks on police have resulted in a disastrous impact on black citizens. Obviously the police were never the problem; criminals are.
Most people of goodwill want bad cops held accountable, but most police are putting their lives on the line to keep the rest of us safe. They deserve our respect, gratitude, and support.
That is where Jason Johnson and the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund come in.
LELDF defends officers who are wrongfully accused, charged with crimes for carrying out their lawful duty. They fund legal defense including lawyers, expert witnesses, and related costs of criminal litigation. Officers should not face jail for the lawful performance of their duty because politicized prosecutors want a cop as a trophy for the Left.
LELDF also educates the public about the complexity and danger of police work and supports law enforcement professional and fraternal organizations.
Career lawman Jason C. Johnson joined the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund as president in January 2019 after over 20 years as a law enforcement officer and executive.
Most recently, Mr. Johnson served as Deputy Commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department from 2016-2018. In addition to leading the BPD Strategic Services Bureau, Mr. Johnson also served as Chair of the BPD Performance Review Board, which conducted detailed internal reviews of all uses of deadly force by police officers.
During his BPD tenure, he oversaw improvements in recruiting, training, technology, and employee health and wellness practices. Prior to joining the Baltimore Police Department, Mr. Johnson retired from the Prince George’s County, Maryland Police Department, at the rank of Major.
During his career, he was assigned as a patrol officer, police academy instructor, hostage/barricade negotiator, and patrol shift commander. He also served as assistant commander of the Special Investigations Division; as well as commander of the Office of Legal Affairs and the Internal Affairs Division. Mr. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law and the 251st Session of the FBI National Academy.
Please join us for this informative, stimulating discussion.
