Two Pro-Trump Police Unions Say President’s Jan. 6 Pardons Send ‘A Dangerous Message’

The country’s largest police union, the Fraternal Order of Police, voiced concerns with President Donald Trump‘s full pardon of Jan. 6 rioters.

The Fraternal Order of Police and the International Association of Chiefs of Police expressed in a joint statement on Tuesday that they were “deeply discouraged” by the pardons “by both the Biden and Trump administrations to individuals convicted of killing or assaulting law enforcement officers.”

During the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, many police officers were injured, and five died after the matter. One suffered a stroke, and the other four died by suicide.

The groups are concerned that the pardons convey a “dangerous” message “potentially emboldening others to commit similar acts of violence.”

“Allowing those convicted of these crimes to be released early diminishes accountability and devalues the sacrifices made by courageous law enforcement officers and their families,” the statement reads.

“Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety — they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law,” the organizations wrote.

They did not directly reference the Jan. 6 pardons in their statement.

The Fraternal Order of Police, with 377,000 members, endorsed Trump’s campaign in the 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections. Despite Trump’s consistent promises to pardon those convicted in connection with Jan. 6 as part of his campaign, in 2024, president of the Order, Patrick Yoes, said there was “no doubt—zero doubt—as to who [members] want as our president for the next four years: Donald J. Trump.”

Both groups now call on policymakers, judicial authorities, and community leaders to “ensure that justice is upheld by enforcing full sentences, especially in cases involving violence against law enforcement.”