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By Craig Bannister | April 30, 2021 | 11:59am EDT
Seattle FOP Pres. Marco Monteblanco
(Screenshot)
Community leaders across the country are pushing anti-police rhetoric and seeking to defund law enforcement, leaving citizens to suffer the consequences, Seattle Fraternal Order of Police President Marco Monteblanco says.
In an interview Friday on Fox & Friends, Monteblanco was asked about the staffing crisis at the Seattle Police Department, where more than 180 officers quit their jobs in 2020, and another 66 have left since the start of this year.
A major reason for the exodus of police in Seattle, and nationally, is that anti-police leaders are refusing to meet with law enforcement to discuss solutions, Monteblanco said:
Investigators also met with several other witnesses employed by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office.
Hatcher, 57, is also facing a recall effort for alleged retaliatory acts involving employees, intimidation, abuse of discretion, and tampering with and destruction of evidence.
Washington Fraternal Order of Police President Marco Monteblanco issued the following statement on Thursday morning:
“The Washington State Fraternal Order of Police applauds the Washington State Patrol for renewing its criminal investigation into the actions of Benton County Sheriff Jerry Hatcher. The people of Benton County and the Benton County Sheriff’s Guild all benefit from a thorough investigation of this incident and the actions of the county’s top law enforcement official,” said WAFOP President Marco Monteblanco.