Obama to Nation's Police: 'We Have Your Backs'

WASHINGTON, DC — One day after the Republican National Convention opened to calls of "Make America Safe Again," President Barack Obama told the nation's law enforcement community, "We have your backs."

"Every day, you confront danger so it does not find our families, carry burdens so they do not fall to us, and courageously meet test after test to keep us safe," the president wrote in an open letter to the U.S. law enforcement community Tuesday. "Time and again, you make the split-second decisions that could mean life or death for you and many others in harm’s way. You endure the tense minutes and long hours over lifetimes of service.

"Every day, you accept this responsibility and you see your colleagues do their difficult, dangerous jobs with equal valor. I want you to know that the American people see it, too. We recognize it, we respect it, we appreciate it, and we depend on you. And just as your tight-knit law enforcement family feels the recent losses to your core, our Nation grieves alongside you."

See also: Read President Obama's Letter to Law Enforcement

Obama's letter comes in the wake of several shootings nationwide that have left officers dead or wounded. On Sunday, three members of the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, law enforcement community were shot dead by a man police have identified as Gavin Long.

Ten days earlier, Micah Johnson, 25, opened fire on Dallas, Texas, police during a large but peaceful protest over recent police shootings involving white officers and unarmed black men. Five officers were killed.

Dozens of protests have been held nationwide over the killing of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black male who was shot dead by two white police officers in Baton Rouge on July 5. The shooting was recorded online and widely circulated over the internet, leading to a large amount of backlash and calls for investigations.

The very next day, the country watched a second video that showed the aftermath of the killing of a black man at the hands of police in St. Paul, Minnesota. The girlfriend of 32-year-old Philando Castile streamed the aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook. Castile had been stopped for a broken taillight and was reaching for his license and had mentioned to the officer that he had a permit for a concealed weapon when the officer opened fire, according to Diamond Reynolds, his girlfriend.

The two shootings saw a large revival of the Black Lives Matter movement, with activists taking to the streets across the country, including in major cities like Chicago, New York, Atlanta and San Francisco.

On Monday night in Cleveland, several speakers during the Republican National Convention's opening touted Donald Trump's support of police, including former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani and Sheriff David Clarke of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

The National Fraternal Order of Police shared the president's letter on its Facebook page.

"The reason this letter has value is that we want and deserve to change the National Dialogue," the organization said. "The people of this country respect law enforcement. Now we continue to speak out about the issues that have helped create disconnects with members of the communities to work so hard to protect.

"We can and do provide the best quality law enforcement that we can but we cannot be held responsible for the social issues such as poverty, lack of mental health services, unemployment, and abject poverty. The work now is to assist our communities by continuing to recognize that we are but one spoke in the wheel and we will do our part. Now it's time for politicians and government to assist us in working in the communities we have always worked in to make life better for all Americans."

Image: President Barack Obama talks with Mick McHale, president of the National Association of Police Organizations, after meeting with activists, civil rights, faith, law enforcement and elected leaders on building community trust on July 13. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)