Police Union Criticized for Fundraising Letter
A fundraising letter issued by a deputy sheriff’s union is being criticized for saying police officers are being threatened with an unprecedented wave of violence. But the facts, according to at least one news outlet, don’t appear to support that assessment.
From the story:
In a recently mailed fundraising letter sent out by the Alameda County deputy sheriff’s union, Deputy Sheriff Tom Matheny claimed that police officers are being threatened by an ‘unprecedented wave’ of violence and assassinations. Matheny also wrote that two recent California laws aimed at reducing mass incarceration and decriminalizing nonviolent crimes have been a ‘double punch’ against police and public safety.
Neither claim is supported by facts. Official statistics show that police are safer on the job now than they have ever been. And experts studying the impacts of Prop 47 and AB 109 say it’s too early to tell if they have caused noticeable increases in crime. The new laws have, however, reduced the prison population.