Police Union: No Officer Escorts For Miami Dolphins Because Of Anthem Protests
The Broward Sheriff's Office might not escort the Miami Dolphins during their forthcoming home game against the Cleveland Browns.
In a report from the Miami Herald Broward County's deputies have taken a stand against the hometown team, with the International Union of Police Associations supporting them.
"We've asked the deputies and the Broward Sheriff’s Office not to do the details anymore" Jeffery Bell, the president of the International Union of Police Associations, said.
"I respect their right to have freedom of speech," Bell added. "However, in certain organizations and certain jobs you give up that right of your freedom of speech temporary while you serve that job or while you play in an NFL game."
The union is asking for team sponsored police escorts to stop until the team forces players to stand for the anthem.
“I can only imagine the public outcry if a group of police officers refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance or if we turned our back for the American flag for the national anthem," Bell said. "There would be a public outcry and internal affairs complaints a mile long on that."
This all began last Sunday after the season opener between the Dolphins and the Seattle Seahawks, where four time Pro Bowl Dolphins running back Arian Foster and three of his teammates kneeled during the national anthem.
"They say it's not time to do this," Foster said to the press following the game. "Then when is the time? It's never the time in someone else's eye."
A similar boycott threat by the Santa Clara Police Officers' Association occurred in response to Colin Kaepernick's protests, but it was eventually called off.
Still, even if the Dolphins don't actually get police escorts to the game there seems to be little chance that the stadium itself will be unprotected.
Miami-Dade police said it has "contractual obligations with Hard Rock Stadium to provide public safety."
The government has "no right" to mandate patriotism, and the fact that certain organizations and individual law enforcement groups are trying to do so, undermines the point of these protests.
