Washington, DC - Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police, issued the following statement condemning attacks against women and minorities in law enforcement:

“The FOP has been tracking the continuing increase in the number of violent attacks against law enforcement, which is why we support legislation like the ‘Protect and Serve Act.’  But there is disturbing new information that officers are also being verbally abused because of their perceived gender, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual preference.

“There is a lot of diversity in law enforcement and the FOP has been a pioneer in working to ensure our agencies and departments look like the streets and neighborhoods they protect.  In fact, the FOP is proud that an excess of 30% of our membership are from minority communities.  This means that we have more than 100,000 members representing minority communities throughout our country.

“We also believe that law enforcement officers should be held to a higher standard in terms of their conduct and professionalism—not their race or sexual preference.  When an officer makes a mistake, he or she should be held to account regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or background.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms anyone who denigrates, demeans, or maligns those, especially women and minorities, working in law enforcement or engages in counterproductive or hostile demagoguery towards women and minority group members who serve in law enforcement.

“Law enforcement officers come from all backgrounds because they work in diverse communities.  That is something to be proud of.”