Police dependent upon the federal government have much less accountability to the local communities they serve. Allegiances become blurred and police serve the needs of the federal government instead of the areas they work.
Join us in watching these videos so we can educate others on the importance of keeping police independent and accountable to local communities.
Local police not only have to endure the difficulty of maintaining law and order, but also the pressure of the gradual federalization of police forces. Because police dependent upon the federal government have much less accountability to the local communities they serve, allegiances become blurred and a national police force emerges. This war on local police is directly related to other dangerous trends like the COVID-19 government overreach and the advance of globalism, as our “Directing the Disorder” reprint points out.
That is why The John Birch Society has consistently supported local police and worked to keep them independent of federal control. Work with us to “Support Your Local Police and Keep Them Independent” in order to have a free society. We have everything you need to get started.
The first SYLP committees were formed in 1963, when the John Birch Society launched its “Support Your Local Police” campaign. At that time, anti-war demonstrations, riots, and drugs were causing many cities to form Police Review Boards, and the federal government to enact the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA).
These boards were often run by radical Leftists and anti-cop agitators and installed regulations that made police work very difficult, in effect calling for more federal control.
This is where the SYLP committees stepped in. Using videos, literature, and speakers, JBS members spread the truth that Police Review Boards were just a tool for the Insiders to gain control. If the Insiders made it look like the police couldn’t do their job, the people would ask for help, aka federal intervention. SYLP committees all over the country educated citizens of the dangers of a national police force, bringing Review Boards to a grinding halt and diminishing the LEAA.
In today’s tumultuous political atmosphere, our police officers are still in danger. Groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa have made it their goal to rid our nation of police. Unfortunately, many people only see what the Leftist-controlled media shows them, and don’t understand the controlling factors hidden in the shadows.
An SYLP committee’s job is to uncover the hidden truths, expose the fake news, and show people why locally-controlled police are vital to a free and sovereign nation. How this is done is up to the committee. Some enjoy hosting booths at gun shows and fairs. Some prefer mass mailings to elected officials. Others have more luck with speaking directly to their city council or holding fundraisers for their local K9 unit. Our goal is to educate the masses. How you do it is up to you.
Please consider joining or forming an SYLP committee today. Here are helpful resources to learn more, including the SYLP committee manual and the committee formation form. Help to keep your local police independent by forming a committee today!
A police officer is defined by the 1828 Webster Dictionary as "an officer entrusted with the execution of laws of a city." This definition clearly explains to whom an officer is responsible – the city. Law enforcement officers are elected by local officials, who are elected by the people. This means police are held accountable by you.
When law enforcement agencies become entangled with the Federal government – through grants, funding or other "programs" – this accountability shifts to the federal government.
In 2015, President Obama created the “Task Force on 21st Century Policing” to “provide technical assistance and incentive funding to jurisdictions in return for receiving federal funds.” In simpler terms, law enforcement agencies would receive funding for gear and training as long as they answered to the federal government. Departments across the nation accepted this offer, outfitting their officers with tactical gear, weapons, and military-grade vehicles. According to a February 2020 article in The Annals journal, 39% of police departments had changed certain practices in response to the task force by 2017.
The end of Obama’s presidency did not end the federal government’s efforts to turn our local police into federal police. Even today, yesteryear’s hometown cop is being swapped for today’s big city soldier. Lawsuits against local departments by left-wing groups like the ACLU and rioting staged by Antifa and BLM all encourage the federal government to strengthen its grip over local police.
Once the federal government has control of the police, they can easily assume control of the people. This is how Hitler gained control of the German people during the Third Reich, and it is the path the U.S. is headed down if we don’t stop it. Locally-controlled police are critical to a free society and we must fight to keep them local!
The only way to prevent the nationalization of our police is to educate both officers and the public. The John Birch Society has been doing this since 1963 with their “Support Your Local Police” Campaign. You can help our efforts by starting or joining an SYLP committee. Through these committees, our members meet with their local officers, address city council members, hold video showings, phone legislators, distribute literature, and much more. The SYLP campaign has played a vital role in combating federal programs over the years.
Consider starting or joining a committee today. If you would like to learn more about this important issue, purchase the SYLP booklet, TNA Special issue, or the book The War on Cops at ShopJBS.org. Every little thing you do makes a big difference in preserving our independence. Local police are a hallmark of a free society, and they need your help to understand the importance of staying independent!
Last week the U.S. Department of Justice issued a scathing report about the Minneapolis Police Department three years after George Floyd died in police custody. Is this an honest review of the police department or is there something more happening? We’ll offer some insight in this episode of Analysis Behind the News, and suggest ways you can help protect your local community, as local policing is an important principle in upholding the Republic.
If you’re concerned about American independence and freedom, then please watch and take the recommended actions. Also, be sure to like, share, and subscribe, so we can reach many others.
Take Action:
Get your copy of our Support Your Local Police booklet
Join The John Birch Society
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Last week the U.S. Department of Justice issued a scathing report about the Minneapolis Police Department three years after George Floyd died in police custody. Is this an honest review of the police department or is there something more happening? We’ll offer some insight in this episode of Analysis Behind the News, and suggest ways you can help protect your local community, as local policing is an important principle in upholding the Republic.
If you’re concerned about American independence and freedom, then please watch and take the recommended actions. Also, be sure to like, share, and subscribe, so we can reach many others.
Take Action:
Get your copy of our Support Your Local Police booklet
Join The John Birch Society
With the federal government’s insatiable appetite for absolute power, it’s crucial to keep local police independent of D.C. swamp control. Local police are not only tasked with taking and keeping criminals off the streets, but their duty includes protecting their constituency from the federal government.
In this clip taken from the Freedom Is the Cure episode “Exploiting Bad Policing for Tyrannical Ends,” JBS CEO Emeritus Art Thompson and LECF Director Matt Harper discuss the importance of local police to warding off government tyranny.
Watch the entire “Freedom Is The Cure” episode.
Read “Biden’s Crime Wave” from The New American magazine.
Learn more and get involved in supporting your local police
In this clip taken from the Freedom Is the Cure episode “Exploiting Bad Policing for Tyrannical Ends,” JBS CEO Emeritus Art Thompson and LECF Director Matt Harper discuss the problem with some police-reform propositions and the real solution to curbing crime.
Watch the entire “Freedom Is The Cure” episode.
Read “Biden’s Crime Wave” from The New American magazine.
Learn more and get involved in supporting your local police.
While it may be easy to convince people that the Left wants to replace local police control with federal control, it’s important to know the Right has its own way of supporting this dangerous shift toward government tyranny.
In this clip taken from the Freedom Is the Cure episode “Exploiting Bad Policing for Tyrannical Ends,” JBS CEO Emeritus Art Thompson and LECF Director Matt Harper discuss the policing traps Americans should beware of.
Watch the entire episode.
Read “Biden’s Crime Wave” from The New American magazine.
Learn more and get involved in supporting your local police.
What do China, North Korea, Russia, and Cuba have in common? Not only are they totalitarian states with all power concentrated in the hands of a few, but they are countries that have only state-controlled policing forces. This is not coincidence; tyrannical governments require a monopoly on force. In the U.S., where police and sheriff’s departments are accountable to the local citizens they serve, the enemies of freedom have been trying for many decades to destroy the credibility of local police for the ultimate purpose of nationalizing them.
In this episode, Paul discusses with Art Thompson and Matt Harper how the tragic death of Tyre Nichols after being beaten by police officers is being exploited by anti-police activists. Art Thompson is the former CEO of The John Birch Society, and Matt Harper is the Executive Director of the Law Enforcement Charitable Foundation.
Read “Biden’s Crime Wave” from The New American magazine.
Learn more and get involved in supporting your local police.
Connect with a local coordinator to get plugged in to JBS activism and fight for a free and sovereign United States.
And order an American-made JBS coffee mug like the Paul’s.
