Texas police face discipline for wearing
Trump caps on duty
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[October 12, 2016]
By Alex Dobuzinskis
(Reuters) - Several San Antonio police
officers who wore Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's "Make
America Great Again" hats during his stop in Texas on Tuesday face
discipline for violating a policy against endorsing a candidate while on
duty, the police chief said.
More than a dozen officers in uniform wore the red caps with Trump's
slogan as they stood with the candidate at an airport, in a video posted
on Trump's Twitter page.
The 25-second clip bears the words "We will make America safe & great
again, together" as the officers walk away.
San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor later said on Facebook she was "deeply
disappointed" by the display and Police Chief William McManus said in a
statement the officers showed "poor judgment."
"I expect them to know better than to give the appearance of endorsing a
candidate while on duty and in uniform, regardless of the political
campaign or the candidate," McManus said.
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The identities of the officers was not immediately clear and they could
not be reached for comment.
They were escorting Trump at the end of his visit, said Michael Helle,
president of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, in a
statement.
"Frankly, the officers were most likely caught up in the moment and did
not consider the political nature of their actions," Helle said.
Helle told the San Antonio Express-News he expected the officers to only
face "benign" punishment, such as a written reprimand.
Last month, the Fraternal Order of Police, the largest U.S. organization
of its kind, endorsed Trump. The group's president said at the time his
members believed the Republican nominee would "make America safe again."
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![](../images/101216pics/news_f11.jpg)
A supporter waves a hat while Republican presidential nominee Donald
Trump speaks at a campaign event in Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
U.S., July 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
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Trump has described himself as the "law-and-order" candidate at a
time when law enforcement has become a major focus of public
discussion in the United States.
Violent crime rose last year though it remains far below peak levels
of the 1990s.
In the last two years, the country has seen a number of major
protests against the deaths of black men in encounters with police,
which has sparked a debate over police use of force and the role of
racial bias in the criminal justice system.
San Antonio prohibits employees from taking action to support a
political candidate while on paid duty but it allows them to engage
in political speech on their own time, according to a policy
document on the city's website.
(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles)
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reserved.]
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