Attorney General William Barr condemned resisting arrest and recent police protests while speaking at the 64th Biennial Conference for the Fraternal Order of Police in New Orleans.
Barr also offered high praise to police officers while speaking to the FOP this week, espousing the risk and sacrifice involved with the job.
“To my mind, there is no more noble profession than serving as a police officer,” he said. “You put your own life and well-being on the line to protect your communities.”
The attorney general also warned the FOP that dangers lie ahead beyond the normal scope of crime. Citing recent criticism law enforcement has faced across the country for acting on alleged racist impulses or using brute force with suspects, Barr acknowledged that police are under scrutiny and lack support from some lawmakers.
“There is another development that is demoralizing to law enforcement and dangerous to public safety,” Barr said. “That is the emergence in some of our large cities of district attorneys that style themselves as ‘social justice’ reformers, who spend their time undercutting the police, letting criminals off the hook, and refusing to enforce the law.”
Barr, known for his “tough on crime” approach, stated that he wanted curb recent efforts to resist arrest and to “underscore the need to ‘Comply first, and, if warranted, complain later.'”
“This will make everyone safe — the police, suspects, and the community at large,” he continued. “And those who resist must be prosecuted for that crime. We must have zero tolerance for resisting police. This will save lives.”
