Citizens Behind the Badge Updates
The leading voice of the American people in support of law enforcement
“The police are the public and the public are the police.” Sir Robert Peel, the Father of Modern Policing
The Most Important Issue Facing Voters: Public Safety
The Washington Examiner recently published an op-ed authored by one of our Law Enforcement Advisory Council members, Louis Quijas. Mr. Quijas served for more than 40 years in law enforcement. He served with the Kansas City (MO) Police Department, was Chief of Police in High Point, NC, and was Assistant Director of the FBI and Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security.
In his op-ed, he makes a strong case that the most important issue facing voters in November is public safety. And he provides a detailed accounting of "the devastating impact that the 'defund the police' movement has had on law enforcement agencies and communities across the country."
He also states: "Many of the candidates who have asked for our vote have forgotten that the No. 1 responsibility of any government is to keep its citizens safe. 'Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' are only pipe dreams if law enforcement, our criminal justice system, and our elected leaders cannot ensure the safety and security of our citizens."
Mr. Quijas concludes in his op-ed, saying, “Over the last several years, I have posed a simple question to many: “Do you feel safe?” I am sorry to say that the overwhelming response has been, “No.” On Nov. 5, we all have an opportunity to do something about it and vote for candidates who will fight to restore public safety.”
Click on the link below to view the full op-ed.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/beltway-confidential/3158347/most-important-issue-facing-voters/
Listen to the Stories of Law Enforcement’s Fallen Heroes
In May of this year, we launched our weekly “Heroes Live Forever” podcast series that tells the stories of law enforcement officers who have made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. The podcast is released every Tuesday and you can hear these audio tributes to our fallen heroes on Substack, the communications platform we use at CBB.
The podcasts (about five minutes in length) honor and remember some of the more than 24,000 officers whose names are inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. Recent podcasts have honored U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Christopher Eney who was shot and killed 40 years ago during a training exercise, Washington State Corrections Officer Jayme Lee Biendl who was strangled to death by an inmate with “nothing to lose,” and Maryland State Trooper Wesley Brown who was a mentor for at-risk youth until his life was taken by a drunken coward.
CBB Works With U.S. Sen. JD Vance to Support Police
In January 2023, soon after U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) first came to Washington, his chief of staff reached out to CBB to offer the Senator’s support. After a couple of meetings and regular communication since, Sen. Vance introduced a resolution, S.Res. 218, that we helped draft supporting America’s policing professionals and condemning “the misguided and disastrous movement to ‘defund and defame the police.’”
The resolution also calls for: “increased measures to be taken to maximize the safety and well-being of law enforcement officers; remembers and honors law enforcement officers who have experienced a death or injury in the line of duty and their families; and calls on all levels of government to ensure that law enforcement officers receive the support and resources needed to keep all communities in the United States safe.” It also declares that the United States Senate “highly respects and values the law enforcement officers of the United States and greatly appreciates all that those officers do to protect and serve their communities.”
Sen. Vance’s resolution is the model we have used in our effort to get all states and localities to pass similar measures of support for law enforcement. We continue to work with Sen. Vance and his staff on other pro-law enforcement initiatives. CBB would like to encourage you to contact Sen. Vance to express your appreciation for his support of law enforcement. You can send him an online note of thanks by going to www.vance.senate.gov/contact/. Please also contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to cosponsor S.Res. 218 as a strong show of support for America’s policing professionals.
Meet the CBB Law Enforcement Advisory Council
Our organization is proud and honored to have a group of 20 esteemed law enforcement leaders serving on our Law Enforcement Advisory Council. They provide important guidance in our mission to ensure America’s policing professionals receive the resources they need to keep our communities safe, and reverse the disastrous consequences of the “defund and defame the police” movement. Recently, we have begun to feature their impressive individual profiles on our website and social media platforms. Below is a recent featured profile on Advisory Council member John Cary Bittick, a retired Georgia Sheriff and U.S. Marshal, and past president of the National Sheriffs’ Association. You can find a complete biography for each of our other Law Enforcement Advisory Council members on the Advisory Council section of the CBB website: https://www.behindbadge.org/about/#advisory-council
Sign Our Declaration of Support for Law Enforcement
In an effort to show our nation’s law enforcement officers just how much they are respected and valued, CBB has launched a campaign to have citizens across the country sign a “Declaration of Support” for the officers serving their communities. We are proud to report that more than 126,000 people have signed this declaration and we expect that many more will add their names. These declarations, along with thank you cards, are being sent to some 12,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide so that our officers know that the vast majority of Americans appreciate their service. You can sign your own online “Declaration of Support” for law enforcement by clicking on the following link: https://citizensbehindbadge.givesecured.org/node/18. We also want to thank the more than 136,000 people who have responded to our surveys on policing and crime. The responses continue to show overwhelming support for law enforcement, and strongly affirm that our citizens want more officers to fight crime and protect communities.
CBB Helps to Remember and Honor Harold L. Vitale
In August, CBB founder and CEO Craig Floyd participated in and delivered the keynote address at the 30th Annual Harold L. Vitale Memorial Fund Golf Tournament and Dinner in Massachusetts. Harold Vitale was a Saugus (MA) police officer who suffered a horrific line of duty death in 1985. During a traffic stop, an 18-year-old driver rolled up his window trapping Harold’s arm and then took off. Harold was dragged at speeds up to 40 mph and then slammed into a street sign and killed. His killer served less than nine years in prison. But his close-knit family refused to let Harold be forgotten. They built a memorial in Harold’s honor in Saugus, helped to raise money to build the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial that bears Harold’s name, and they have given over a million dollars raised through the annual golf tournament and other events to deserving groups like C.O.P.S. (Concerns of the Police Survivors), the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, and CBB. For the second year in a row, the Harold L. Vitale Memorial Fund donated $2,500 to CBB at this year’s tournament. A special guest this year was Jonny Castro, a police officer with the Philadelphia Police Department and accomplished artist. Jonny presented portraits he created of Harold and eight other fallen officers honored at this year’s dinner to their family members in attendance.
Cop Hater Snoop Dogg Gets Undeserved Olympics Honor
This summer, the rapper, Calvin Broadus Jr. (better known as “Snoop Dogg”), carried the Olympic torch on its final stages through Paris. Now, to some, this honor may not raise an eyebrow. But it must be understood that Snoop Dogg is a self-proclaimed cop hater who has promoted violence against police in his songs. CBB published an opinion article blasting his selection for such an honor as “utterly disgraceful and terribly disrespectful to the men and women who have served and sacrificed—many with their lives—in law enforcement service.” In the article, we pointed out that Snoop Dogg, has famously rapped, “All you n***as out there, Take your guns that you using to shoot each other And start shooting these b***h-ass mother-f**king police. That’ll impress a mother-f**king n***a like me.” (From the song, “Police,” by Snoop Dogg & J5 Slap.)
“This is just a small sample of the anti-law enforcement hatred that Snoop Dogg has spewed over many years. Anyone, young children included, can go to YouTube or TikTok and see Snoop Dogg performing a cover version of N.W.A.’s hit song, ‘F**k the Police.’ The words to the song are pretty simple. He repeats the title over and over while holding his crotch in a courtroom filled with fake police officers. This video has been viewed more than 444,000 times on TikTok, with more than 67,000 likes.”
We ended by saying, “NBC, the Olympic organizers and corporate America should be ashamed of themselves for giving Snoop Dogg a privileged platform and rubbing salt in the wound of an already demoralized American police force. All of them owe our law enforcement officers and their families an apology for the dishonor they have caused.”
Follow CBB on Social Media and Join the Conversation
See what CBB has recently posted on our social media platforms and follow us by clicking on the icons at top right of the BehindBadge.org homepage.
When CBB reported that there was a 15% increase in the number of law enforcement fatalities (71) during the first half of 2024, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund—
Judy M. commented: “My heart aches when this happens. I have worked with Law Enforcement and they are truly amazing.”
When CBB posted a tribute to Martin I. Donovan, a Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Officer, on the 60th anniversary of his line of duty death—
Sherry H. commented: “My dear brother and hero, MPD Officer Martin I. Donovan, killed in the line of duty in Washington DC on July 9, 1964. Thank you for keeping his memory alive!”
When CBB reported on yet another troubling consequence of the “defund and defame the police” movement—namely, that Chicago restaurants were being burglarized at the highest rate in recorded history, and that only 5.3% of those burglaries resulted in an arrest in 2023 because of Chicago’s officer shortage crisis—
Eileen B. commented: “Oh well, your politicians wanted to defund the police. How did you think this would play out?”
When CBB reported that it was two School Resource Officers (SROs), Brandon King and Tanner Good, who quickly and heroically confronted the mass killer at Georgia’s Apalachee High School and forced him to surrender—
Richard M. commented: “Proof - SROs save lives!”
When CBB reported that Macomb County (MI) Deputy Nicole Miron leaped from a moving police vehicle to save a motorist experiencing a medical crisis—
Erich FW commented: “That’s some movie stuff there, great job!”
When CBB reported that Ferguson (MO) Police Officer Travis Brown was attacked and suffered a critical brain injury during another “peaceful” anti-police protest marking the 10-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death—
Jim M. commented: “The Ferguson lie is the cause of the problems we have today.”
When CBB posted its “Heroes Live Forever” podcast telling the story of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, whose brutal murder by Mexican drug lords galvanized law enforcement's resolve to win the war on drugs—
Scott S. commented: “His story was a catalyst for my career in LE . . . specifically in Narcotics.”
When CBB exposed a misleading article stating that crime in Washington State had decreased in 2023 despite the lowest officer staffing rate in the U.S. (actually homicides in 2023 were 87% higher in Washington than in 2019, and vehicle thefts increased by 112% during that same period)—
Shannon L. commented: “Of course crime goes down when there are no cops to find it.”