STATES COULD SEEK JUSTICE
THE NYPD’S TOP cop, police chiefs from around the world and the Rev. Al Sharpton condemned on Saturday President Trump’s tough-talking speech in which he encouraged Long Island officers to rough up MS-13 gang suspects. Police Commissioner James O’Neill said in a statement that the President’s words were reckless. “To suggest that police officers apply any standard in the use of force other than what is reasonable and necessary is irresponsible, unprofessional and sends the wrong message to law enforcement as well as the public,” he said. O’Neill’s response was one of many from law enforcement brass and civil rights advocates outraged that Trump condoned unnecessary use of force. Trump spoke to police cadets at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, a Long Island town that has struggled with MS-13 gang activity and murders. “When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon — you just see them thrown in, rough — I said, ‘Please don’t be too nice,’ ” Trump said, drawing applause from cadets. “Like when you guys put somebody in the car and you’re protecting their head . . . . You can take your hand away, OK?” O’Neill said in his statement that officers are taught how to respond appropriately. “The NYPD’s training and policies relating to the use of force only allow for measures that are reasonable and necessary under any circumstances, including the arrest and transportation of prisoners,” he said. The International Association of Chiefs of Police also issued a statement shortly after the President’s address saying law enforcement officers are “trained to treat all individuals, whether they are a complainant, suspect or defendant, with dignity and respect. “This is the bedrock principle behind the concepts of procedural justice and police legitimacy,” the statement said. The Suffolk County Police Department was also not happy with Trump’s instructions to its cadets. “As a department, we do not and will not tolerate roughing up of prisoners,” the department said. The Rev. Al Sharpton called Trump’s comments “dangerous and biased.” “The problem in our community is those who we trust to fight crime, they must be held accountable if they go over the line and commit a crime,” he told the crowd at his National Action Network headquarters in Harlem on Saturday.