McCormick Statement on National Police Week
PHILADELPHIA, PA. — Dave McCormick, a combat veteran and Pennsylvania job creator who served in the highest levels of government, released the following statement recognizing National Police Week.
This National Police Week, I’m grateful for the men and women in blue who protect and defend our communities in our country and our commonwealth — including when it isn’t easy.
Dangerous crimes like homicide and aggravated assault are up 17% and 8% respectively from pre-pandemic levels, and American communities are less safe.
Soros-funded prosecutors, like Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, have all but offered a get out of jail free card to criminals they don’t feel like prosecuting.
And to make matters worse, destructive rhetoric from the radical left has caused devastating loss and hurt morale, and hiring police officers to protect our communities has become a crisis. We lost 378 officers across the country in the line of duty last year — the highest number ever recorded — and almost 30 percent more officers resigned than in the years before the 2020 Defund the Police movement.
Less police officers means less safe communities. In my hometown of Pittsburgh, due to staffing shortages, if you call 911 between 3 am and 7am, an officer won’t come unless a crime is in progress.
As all of this has gone on, Bob Casey has stood with Defund the Police radicals and endorsed dangerous legislation that makes it harder for our men and women in blue to do their jobs:
- Casey gleefully accepted the endorsement of a radical Defund the Police group, Indivisible PA.
- Casey co-sponsored legislation that would end qualified immunity and defund local police departments from federal grants if they don’t implement the Biden Administration’s preferred policing policies.
- Casey voted against directing $300 million to anti-narcotic and -opioid activities carried out by U.S. Customs & Border Protection.
- Casey voted against limiting or prohibiting federal law enforcement grants from going to local governments whose district attorneys fail to prosecute certain crimes, as well as a motion to increase funding for prosecutors to ensure violent criminals are properly detained pretrial.
- Casey believes that there is “systemic racism” in the criminal justice system, and said it’s time to admit the “white privilege” held by him and his colleagues.
In short, where Bob Casey has failed to back our law enforcement, I will be a steadfast supporter.
As Pennsylvania’s Senator, I will work each and every day to stand up for our men and women in blue and provide them with the resources they need to do their jobs and defend our communities.