Tuesday, November 11, 2014

President Barack H. Obama

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20050

Dear President Obama:

I write you today to respectfully raise concerns on behalf of a law enforcement community
across America that is discouraged by an abundance of news that suggests the federal
government has turned its back on them. The hyper-politicization of justice issues has made
it immeasurably more difficult for police officers to simply do their jobs. The growing divide
between the police and the people perhaps best characterized by protesters in Ferguson,
Mo., who angrily chanted, Its not black or white. Its blue! only benefits of members of
a political class seeking to vilify law enforcement for other societal failures. This puts our
communities at greater risk, especially the most vulnerable among us.
Your attorney general, Eric Holder, is chief among the antagonists. During his tenure as the
head of the Department of Justice, Mr. Holder claims to have investigated twice as many
police and police departments as any of his predecessors. Of course, this includes his illtimed decision to launch a full investigation into the Ferguson Police Department at the
height of racial tensions in that community, throwing gasoline on a fire that was already
burning. Many officers were disgusted by such a transparent political maneuver at a time
when presidential and attorney general leadership could have calmed a truly chaotic situation.
It wont be long before the American people turn their attention to other matters. Long after
Ferguson is forgotten, police officers across America will still remember the way their senior
federal executives turned their back on them with oft-repeated suggestions that race-based
policing drives a biased, broken law enforcement agenda.
As we move forward with the selection and confirmation of a new attorney general, I ask that
you personally reengage with the law enforcement community of dedicated and valiant men
and women across the country, serving at every level of government. With two years
remaining in your presidency, you have an urgent responsibility to correct damage inflicted
upon law enforcement and help mend the rift between police and those they protect. The Law
Enforcement Legal Defense Fund will be happy to support any such discussions.
I trust that you understand the gravity of the situation at hand, as well as the long-term
consequences from inaction on this issue. Strong leadership is exemplified in bold action. We
live in a time requiring both.

Respectfully,

Ronald T. Hosko
President, Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund
Former Assistant Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation