Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Black NYPD Officers Say Union's Trump Endorsement Takes Police To "A Dark Place"
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 2, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Shutterstock
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 2, 2020
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Some Black NYPD officers were caught off guard by the emphatic endorsement of Donald Trump delivered by their police union leader, Pat Lynch, during last week's Republican National Convention.
In an unsigned statement released Tuesday, the Guardians Association of the NYPD, a fraternal order of Black police officers, said Lynch showed Patrolmen Benevolent Association members a "lack of respect" by making the endorsement without asking, or even informing them, ahead of time.
"The Guardians Association is disappointed at the decision of the PBA to publicly endorse a presidential candidate and speak at the Republican National Convention," the statement reads. "We believe this action by the PBA undermines every police officer’s ability to remain neutral and nonpartisan in the eyes of the public."
The PBA represents around 24,000 rank-and-file officers, the most of any police union in New York City. Though Lynch has long attacked Democrats, the union does not normally make endorsements in presidential races. But during a rally last month, the union officially back Trump, who Lynch described as the "law and order" candidate. In a subsequent speech on the final night of the RNC, the union leader warned that Americans "won’t be safe in Joe Biden’s America."
Detective Felicia Richards, the president of the Guardians Association, said it seemed that members of the fraternal organization feared speaking out publicly against the long-serving PBA boss, who was first elected in 1999.
"When they retire they speak on everything, but those in the middle are the ones who remain silent. They just kind of roll with the punches," Richards told Gothamist. "You shouldn't roll with punches when you pay union dues, when you're told to vote for these people. Somebody has to remind them that they have the power to speak up."
The PBA is hardly alone in its endorsement of the president. The Fraternal Order of Police endorsed Trump in 2016, as did the National Association of Police Organizations, the umbrella group for Police Benevolent Association chapters.
According to one poll, 84 percent of working police officers nationwide backed Trump during the 2016 election. The head of the NYPD, Dermot Shea, is a registered Republican, though he has declined to say which candidate he supports.
Since the beginning of the nationwide uprising against racist police violence, some Black police officers say they've found themselves in an uncomfortable position, wanting to speak out in support of protesters but fearing backlash from the tightly-controlled department. While more than half of the NYPD's 36,000 uniformed officers are people of color, the department's top ranks are still overwhelmingly held by white men.
The Guardians Association statement said Lynch's "demonization of any political ideology other than that shared by him, Trump, and Giuliani takes residence in a dark place."
Still, Richards stressed that the Guardians' statement wasn't prompted by Lynch's specific message, but the simple expectation that union members should be included in the decision to offer a political endorsement.
"Membership expressed disappointment that something as basic as giving them a heads up about this was not even considered," she said. "It's not a clash. It's a point of order."
Inquiries to the PBA were not returned.
Tagged
police union
nypd
pat lynch
trump
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .