Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas spoke Tuesday afternoon to members of the North Little Rock Police Department, telling officers that elected officials must support police in moments of controversy and crisis.
“It is important for elected leaders like me … to have the backs of their law enforcement officers,” Cotton said, addressing a crowd at the police department’s training office before answering questions from officers.
His remarks came at a time of heightened racial tension across the U.S. after the fatal shootings of unarmed black men by police in Ferguson, Mo. and most recently in Baton Rouge, La.
“In Ferguson or in Baltimore, there were politicians that were jumping to conclusions and fanning the flames of division and racial tension in their communities,” Cotton said, adding that investigations of those shootings found no wrongdoing by police.
North Little Rock Police Chief Mike Davis commended Cotton for his “pep talk,” emphasizing that local law enforcement officials need to hear they are supported in times of tension.
“For these guys, our family is a big part of this and social media and all those types of things, if we’re not careful, we can really get bogged down by that,” Davis said.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.