Citizens Behind the Badge Response to Pardons for Those Who Attacked Police on January 6th
People who assault police officers need to be held fully accountable for their actions and serve their full sentences.
Police being attacked at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th
McLean, VA (January 22, 2025) - Citizens Behind the Badge is a leading voice of the American people in support of our nation’s law enforcement officers. Today, our voice is filled with disappointment and disagreement with the “complete and unconditional pardon” of those who have been convicted of attacking and assaulting police officers at the United States Capitol on January 6th. People who assault a police officer need to be held fully accountable for their actions and serve their full sentences.
We recognize that most of the nearly 1,600 individuals charged with criminal acts on January 6th were not responsible for attacking police, but 171 have been charged or convicted of using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to a police officer. Those cases should have been reviewed separately and treated differently.
We must never forget that more than 140 U.S. Capitol Police and D.C. Metropolitan Police officers were injured on January 6—many of them seriously. One officer, Brian Sicknick of the U.S. Capitol Police, died the next day after being assaulted and suffering a stroke. Four other officers involved in the violence at the Capitol on January 6th died by suicide within seven months. Many others have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental distress.
Our position has been clear and consistent. Any person who attacks or kills a police officer should receive the toughest possible punishment. That is why we will be strongly supporting the “Thin Blue Line Act,” which was recently introduced in Congress to enhance penalties on those who attack or kill law enforcement officers. We must let our officers know that we stand behind them and let criminals know that violence against police will not be tolerated.
Over the last four years, the “defund and defame the police” movement has resulted in a lenient, revolving-door criminal justice system. Criminals have been emboldened by progressive policies and by prosecutors who have failed to uphold and fully enforce the rule of law. This anti-police, pro-criminal movement has made the job of a police officer far more dangerous. It was recently reported that the rate of assaults on American law enforcement reached a 10-year high in 2023, with more than 79,000 officer attacks, including 466 assaults with firearms. And, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 147 officers died in the line of duty in 2024, which was a 25 percent increase over the prior year.
This article and many others can be found on the Citizens Behind the Badge Substack here: https://behindbadge.substack.com/
About Citizens Behind the Badge
Established in 2020, Citizens Behind the Badge (CBB) is a national nonprofit organization based in McLean, Virginia. Its mission is to mobilize and amplify citizen support to ensure that law enforcement receives the resources and respect needed and deserved to keep America safe, and to reverse the disastrous consequences of the “defund and defame the police” movement. CBB’s founder and president is Craig W. Floyd, who led the effort to build both the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the National Law Enforcement Museum. For more information go to: www.BehindBadge.org or email info@behindbadge.org.
