After Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump visited San Antonio Tuesday for a campaign fundraiser, a video surfaced on Twitter showing a group of San Antonio police officers wearing Trump campaign hats as they escorted Trump to his motorcade.
City attorney Andrew Segovia sent a letter to the Donald Trump for President campaign staff, asking them to take down the Twitter post, as it is “a calculated political maneuver,” and essentially, a political ad.
The officers, when in uniform and in their capacity as City employees, are required to remain neutral and show no political affiliation, Segovia stated in the letter.
“Impartiality and neutrality with respect to the person being protected is essential to effectively carrying out their role as assigned security,” Segovia added.
San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) Chief William McManus released a statement Tuesday night saying that SAPD officers are charged with protecting the entire community, and that the officers in the video will be “disciplined appropriately.”
“The officers displayed poor judgment,” McManus stated. “I expect them to know better than to give the appearance of endorsing a candidate while on duty and in uniform, regardless of the political campaign or the candidate.”
OTHER CARTOONS BY JOHN BRANCH:
On Millennials Voting for Third Party Candidates
On Texas’ Strange Election Cycle
