THOSE IN WASHINGTON D.C., NEW
YORK CITY, ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,
THE LATEST HOT SPOT.
THEY’RE SAYING YOU KNOW WHAT?
WE STILL THINK THAT LAW
ENFORCEMENT IS DOING A GOOD JOB
AND THAT THE PRESIDENT IS DOING
A GOOD JOB.
IT’S A POINT NO DOUBT ECHOED BY
MY NEXT GUEST.
PATRICK, FRATERNAL ORDER OF
POLICE, THE NATIONAL PRESIDENT,
THE BIG CHEESE SO WE’RE HONORED
TO HAVE HIM AND HE MADE NEWS BY
BACKING -- AGAIN, THIS IS THE
NATION’S LARGEST POLICE UNION,
DONALD TRUMP.
THEY’VE NOT OFTEN DONE THAT
SORT OF THING, BUT THEY DID.
PATRICK IS HERE TO TELL US WHY
HE DID.
VERY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU.
WHY DID YOU THROW YOUR SUPPORT
BEHIND THE PRESIDENT?
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
YEAH, WE’VE WORKED VERY CLOSELY
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP OVER THE
LAST FOUR YEARS ON MANY
INITIATIVES.
ONE OF THEM WAS THE FIRST STEP
ACT, WHICH IS THE LARGEST
POLICE REFORM ACT THAT’S
HAPPENED IN RECENT TIME.
AND WE WERE VERY PROUD TO BE
THE ONLY LABOR ORGANIZATION
THAT STOOD AND RECOGNIZED THAT
WE WANT TO FIND WAYS TO IMPROVE
BETTER THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE
SYSTEM AND WE ALSO WORKED WITH
THE PRESIDENT CLOSELY ON HIS
EXECUTIVE ORDER AND ALSO WITH
CONGRESS.
IN BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE,
HOPING THAT WE COULD FIND SOME
WAYS TO IMPROVE, HAVE
FACT-BASED DISCUSSIONS AND
APPROVE THE QUALITY OF LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
UNFORTUNATELY, WE KNOW WHAT’S
HAPPENING IN CONGRESS AND WE’RE
KINDING OF AT A STALEMATE
THERE.
AND THE PRESIDENT’S EXECUTIVE
ORDER IS THE ONLY POLICE REFORM
OUT OF THIS.
AND OUR MEMBERS ARE ALSO
MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITIES AS
WELL, AND WE HAVE CONCERNS, BUT
WE ALSO HAVE INTERESTING FOR
US, UNLIKE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS,
WE HAVE A PROCESS WHERE OUR
MEMBERS ARE ACTUALLY PART OF
THE DECISION IN MAKING OUR
ENDORSEMENT.
IT’S WHAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY.
WE COMPLETED OUR PROCESS WITH
POLLING OUR MEMBERS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY AND EACH ONE OF THE
STATES THAT WOULD EXIST AND GOT
A UNANIMOUS SUPPORT TO ENDORSE
PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR A SECOND
TERM.
NEIL: HAD ANY OF THE GROUP MADE
A PITCH FOR JOE BIDEN, TALKED
TO JOE BIDEN, ASKED WHAT HE
WOULD DO IF HE WERE PRESIDENT,
ANYTHING LIKE THAT?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, ON THE LOCAL
LEVEL, IT’S VERY POSSIBLE.
THE WAY OUR PROCESS WORKS IS
EACH STATE ADDRESSES OR HAS THE
POLLING OF THE MEMBERS AND EACH
ONE OF THEIR STATE
REPRESENTATIVES CAST A VOTE FOR
THEIR PARTICULAR STATE.
IT WOULD BE NAIVE TO SAY THERE
AREN’T SOME THAT ARE SOME
SUPPORTERS OF VICE-PRESIDENT
BIDEN, BUT UNANIMOUS COULD
SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP.
NEIL: AND HAD ON WASHINGTON
CONGRESSMAN ADAM SMITH WHO SAID
THE PRESIDENT HAS NOT BEEN AS
BENEFICIAL TO THE LAW
ENFORCEMENT EFFORT OR KEEPING
THE PEACE EFFORT.
HIS TONE AND HIS TENOR HAS
ACTUALLY SPARKED MORE UNREST.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?
>> WHAT I WILL SAY IS THIS.
YOU KNOW, I THINK WHAT WE HAVE
IN AMERICA TODAY IS AN
UNWILLING INEST TO SIT DOWN AND
HAVE A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION
BASED ON FACT.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT THERE’S NO
SOLUTION, THERE’S NO PROBLEM WE
CAN’T FIND A SOLUTION TO, BUT
WE’RE JUST NOT MOTIVATED ON
EACH SIDE TO DO THAT.
I CAN TELL YOU A  AS AN
ORGANIZATION AND WE’VE REACHED
OUT TO THE PRESIDENT ON ISSUES
OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AND NOT ONCE
HAVE WE WALKED AWAY HAVE WE HAD
MEANINGFUL DIALOG.
IN THAT RESPECT, I HAVE A
DIFFERENT OPINION AND DINNER
EXPERIENCE THAN PERHAPS THE
CONGRESSMAN.
NEIL: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON
THIS DEFUND POLICE MOVEMENT OR
AT LEAST, REALLOCATE THEIR
FUNDS, WHICH GUESS WOULD BE
DEFUNDING.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
>> IT’S OBVIOUS, ONE THING FOR
SURE, WE DEFUND POLICE.
I WONDER, I WONDER IF THIS IS
NOT JUST A NARRATIVE THAT’S RUN
AWRY AND HAS TURNED INTO A MUCH
LARGER DISCUSSION THAT MAYBE WE
REALLY DON’T--
CAN’T WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND.
WHAT DOES A SOCIETY LOOK LIKE
WITHOUT RULES AND RULE OF LAW?
IF YOU LOOK AT EVERY COMMUNITY.
THOSE WHO ARE LEAST LIKELY TO
BE ABLE TO HELP THEMSELVES ARE
THE ONES THAT ARE GOING TO BE
HURT THE MOST.
IF YOU START TAKING AWAY LAW
ENFORCEMENT, GIVE US TRUST IN
THE COMMUNITY AND ONE IS BEING
PROPERLY TRAINED AND THE OTHER
ONE IS, THE COMMUNITY BASED
PROGRAMS THAT RESPECT THE
COMMUNITY.
IF YOU CUT FUNDING, THOSE ARE
CUT FIRST.
OUR ABILITY TO BUILD THOSE
RELATIONSHIP THAT THE ALLOW US
TO HAVE THRIVING COMMUNITIES
ARE GOING TO BE HAMPERED EVEN
WORSE BY THIS WHOLE THOUGHT OF
TAKING FUNDS AWAY FROM LAW
ENFORCEMENT.
NEIL: PATRICK, I WANT TO THANK
YOU VERY MUCH, THE FRATERNAL
ORDER OF POLICE NATIONAL
PRESIDENT.
FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS
THE COUNTRY AND SAYING AS FAR
