Via Washington Examiner:
Law enforcement officers say they and their families face harassment and bullying by strangers and neighbors as a result of a nationwide crackdown on law enforcement following protests around the death of George Floyd.
One former Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, faces a charge of second-degree murder over the 46-year-old black man’s death. The episode triggered nationwide protests over police practices and some violence and looting.
At the same time, police officers around the nation, facing scrutiny by local, state, and federal officials, say morale is down in local departments. Budgets have been cut, and overtime pay for shifts during protests has been slashed. And the homes of police officers have been vandalized while anti-law enforcement activists have watched them from outside.
“About an hour ago a black SUV stopped in front of my home and laid on the horn for a while. Message clear, I know where you live. Here’s a message for you. I’m a kid from Dewey/Stone area. Born tough, raised tough. Blue collar. I won’t go easy if you come for me,” tweeted Patrick Phelan, president of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police and also the Western New York Association of Chiefs of Police, on Tuesday.