The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 issued a joint statement to MCM Friday regarding the more than 1500 blanket pardons for Jan. 6 rioters granted by President Trump earlier this week.
Montgomery County Department of Police and FOP Lodge 35 are disappointed by the recent pardons and commutations to individuals convicted of committing crimes, to include assaults on law enforcement officers, during the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to protect the public, and these pardons and commutations undermine public safety. Any individual who commits a crime should be held accountable, to see these individuals be released without having to pay their debt to society is disheartening. The pardoning and commutation of violent offenders compromises the integrity of our justice system and endangers the communities that our officers are sworn to protect.
On January 6, 2021, 40 members of the MCPD’s Special Response Team arrived on the Capitol Grounds where they were immediately surrounded by thousands of protesters. They eventually deployed to the back side of the building. One of the officers was struck in the head with a metal chair and has had a years-long recuperative period. Another participant described the experience as “fighting for our lives” for nearly five hours.
President Trump called the sentences of the rioters “ridiculous and excessive.”
