Former Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives Beth Harwell announced on Monday that the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) endorsed her candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives.
James Smallwood, the president of the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police, said in a statement provided to The Tennessee Star, “As speaker, Beth Harwell always prioritized public safety in Tennessee and was attentive to the needs of law enforcement professionals as we worked to promote safer and stronger communities across the State. Now, more than ever, we need that same attention in Washington D.C. The members of the Nashville Fraternal Order of Police are proud to support Beth Harwell for Congress because we know she’s the right person for the job!”
“The Fraternal Order of Police is the world’s largest organization of sworn law enforcement officers, with more than 364,000 members in more than 2,100 lodges,” added the statement.
Harwell said she was “honored” to receive the FOP’s endorsement.
“These brave men and women are on the front lines keeping our families safe from drugs, crime, and other threats to public safety. In Congress, I will back the blue 100% percent just as I did in the State House. We must fully fund our law enforcement officers and make sure they have the resources they need to protect us,” she said.
The Star reported that Harwell announced her “Back the Blue” plan in July.
Harwell’s six-point plan calls for funding law enforcement officers and making sure they have the resources and training they need to fight crime.
“American cities have seen a massive increase in violent crime and murders these last few years. At the same time, Democrat politicians around the country have called for ‘defunding the police’ which has only led to emboldened criminals who don’t respect law and order,” Harwell said in a July statement.
“The Biden Administration’s failure to secure the southern border and a disregard for cracking down on crime has led to a rise in drugs and human trafficking in our communities. Fentanyl is the most dangerous type of opioid and we’ve seen record numbers of the drug in our community. In middle Tennessee, sex trafficking has become a rising issue,” Harwell continued. “Our law enforcement officers are doing everything they can, but the legal system is failing us by letting criminals off the hook.”
The Republican primary in the race for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat will take place Thursday.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR, Twitter, Truth Social, and Parler.
Photo “Beth Harwell Speaking to the Fraternal Order of Police” by Beth Harwell.
Although I am usually a supporter of labor unions, the Fraternal Order of Police is one union that I, to put it mildly, distrust. They are a haven for right-wing bigoted and militaristic thugs in the same way that the Teamsters Union used to be under Frank Fritzsimmons. Anybody that the Fraternal Order of Police endorses, like Beth Harwell, is not to be trusted. We don’t want mobsters like the F.O.P. telling law-abiding citizens how to vote!
Please tell all of us how you really feel. I am opposed to ALL unions myself.
I don’t oppose unions PER SE. In fact, clean unions do a lot of good. They pressure even non-unionized employers to give their employees decent wages and benefits (partly as an incentive NOT to join a union!) which, in turn, give employees a STAKE in supporting their jobs. Unions do give employees at least a degree of control over their lives that they did not have when their employers could play God with their employees’ welfare.
The problem with unions, however, arises when mobsters and bigoted thugs take over a union as they once did with the Teamsters and United Mine Workers until new reformist leadership cleaned them up. The Fraternal/Sororal Order of Police needs the same type of honest law-abiding cops to clean it up.
Another problem arises when the leadership of a union can get away with taking its rank-and-file members for granted. This abuse often leads to union leaders collaborating secretly with Management (i.e.: employers) against their rank-and-file members. The rank-and-file needs tools to keep their leaders accountable to unions instead of playing footsie with anti-union managers.
William – The problem is that there are no what you call “clean unions”. They work great in theory but unfortunately those in power are or become corrupt. If one does not like their job, they ae free to get another allowing market competition to prevail.