Police Organizations back Obama-Biden
Posted: Monday, September 22, 2008 12:03 PM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Joe Biden
From NBC/NJ's Mike Memoli
BALTIMORE, Md. -- Biden accepted the endorsement of the National Association of Police Organizations this morning on behalf of the Democratic ticket, pledging to again provide a seat at the table for local law enforcement.
Biden, speaking on a conference call with NAPO President Tom Nee, made a plug for the “Biden Crime Bill,” which he said was contributed to a 30 percent drop in violent crime in the 1990s.
“Then, for some reason, because this administration and my good friend John don’t think it’s a role of the federal government to be involved in local law enforcement … they decided they had to stop it,” he said. Biden promised to re-establish those policies, to provide funding and technological assistance to communities across the country.
Nee said that in the wake of 9/11, local police officers have taken on greater responsibilities for issues like immigration and weapons tracking. He said there is a “clear demarcation” in the philosophies of the Democrats and Republicans.
“We know [that] crime is not a local problem like the other campaign has identified,” Nee said. “It’s time to mow the lawn again, it’s time to get back to dealing with homeland security because it all begins at home.”
Biden, who talks often on the campaign trail about his affection for first responders, agreed, saying that in the wake of a terrorist attack it is often local police on the front lines. He said he “would not have joined the ticket” if he was not “absolutely convinced” that he and Obama are of the same mind.
NAPO endorsed John Kerry in 2004, and Al Gore in 2000.
Biden is scheduled to speak this morning at the National Guard Association conference in Baltimore. His son, Beau, is a captain in the National Guard’s Judge Advocate General Corps, and is scheduled to deploy to Iraq next month. McCain addressed the conference this weekend.
