With a little less than three weeks until the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, more than 100 law enforcement agencies have pulled out of their agreement to provide additional security for the event. According to the Associated Press, the agencies backed out of the agreement out of concern over recent events inside the city.
Just last week, the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission ordered Police Chief Alfonso Morales to revise the department's policies, one of which included eliminating the use of pepper spray and tear gas to disperse large crowds and riots. Tear gas was used in May and June after protests broke out following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The commission has threatened to discipline – up to and including termination – Morales if he fails to implement the new policies.
Morales confirmed that a number of agencies would no longer be helping during the convention, although he did not specify which agencies backed out or how many officers would be policing the area.
"Our concern is that in the event protests turn non-peaceful, such a policy would remove tools from officers that may otherwise be legal and justifiable to utilize in specific situations," West Allis Deputy Chief Robert Fletcher told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Why would police departments want to knowingly send their officers into harm's way without every tool at their disposal? Why would police departments and other law enforcement agencies want to guard and protect the very individuals that are trying to abolish their profession?
If Democrats believe the police should be "defunded" or abolished, then they should have no problem holding their convention without law enforcement being present.