Page 44 - Sept 2017

Got-your-back talk
Sessions’ address makes strong pledge to continue support for the police
n BY MITCHELL KRUGEL
n PHOTOS BY LYNN CRONQUIST
Roars and applause continued to reverberate from the Delta Ballroom at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had just culminated a rousing keynote address on opening day of the 63rd National FOP Biennial Conference, and 6,000 delegates wondered if there would be a photo opp with America’s top cop, or some other way to savor this momentous occasion.
Chicago Lodge 7 President Kevin Graham appeared to be so moved by the sermon that he made a move to catch a sel- fie with Sessions before he headed back to the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Alas, General Sessions slipped out the back door before any photos could be snapped.
But clearly his address resonated through the echoes of more than a half-dozen standing ovations to law enforce- ment throughout the country and even all the way to Chica- go. By concluding with the words, “We have your back. You have our thanks,” it might have seemed like Sessions was addressing each and every Chicago copper. But he went on for more than 30 minutes with therapeutic, cathartic and en- ergetic messages that encouraged, informed and promised much of what law enforcement has been longing for since that infamous turning point three years ago this past August.
“On behalf of the Department of Justice and President Trump,” Sessions submitted as one of his opening lines that immediately drew a boisterous response with the mention of the president, “the Fraternal Order of Police serves an im- portant purpose to support those who protect us, and I want to thank you for what you have meant to our country, to the Department of Justice and to me and the president.”
In his introduction, National FOP President Chuck Canter- bury confirmed the FOP’s perspective that President Trump and General Sessions have been leading the we’ve-got-your- back administration and the officer-safety administration. As Canterbury noted how Sessions and the DOJ have made changes in asset forfeiture policies to turn them in favor of law enforcement and have issued executive orders to prose- cute to the highest crime rather than plea-bargaining down – both of particular importance to Lodge 7 members, of course – he emphasized what might be most integral about General Sessions.
“He is above all else, a man who serves the law and reveres justice,” Canterbury cheered.
With that, Sessions began an articulation of messages ded- icated to allaying the greatest fears in the room and among all officers. As he restated, “America appreciates you. Ameri- ca values you,” Sessions sent up some well-conceived words of encouragement to reassure those on the front lines in the fight against gangsters, cartels, drug dealers, murderers and those “threatening the lives and liberties of the American people.”
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Some of his best lines included:
“You are the thin blue line that stands between law- abiding people and disorder,” he commented when address- ing the daily challenges for law enforcement. “A vast major- ity of our country appreciates overwhelmingly what you do. In fact, I noticed a few weeks ago, a Gallup Poll that showed overall confidence (in law enforcement) had risen back to high levels, well above the levels of approval that Congress gets. You can be sure of that.”
The attorney general later referenced the directive he issued this past March on guns and violent crime, noting, “Since then, we have seen a 23-percent increase in the num- ber of criminals charged with the unlawful possession of firearms. That’s something that would not be done without the partnership of state and local law enforcement.”
The ultimate of Sessions’ ovation-inducing statements might have been his recognition that, “while I’m proud of the work the DOJ has done, we have not done it alone. This is your work. You are on the front lines. These are your well- earned successes.” He reinforced the priority for President Trump and the administration by clarifying, “We will always seek to affirm the critical role of police officers in our society and we will not participate in anything that will give comfort to radicals who promote agendas that preach hostility rather than respect for police.”
Sessions also used this pulpit to pledge to FOP members