Trump Is Fixing 'Obama Effect' On Cops: Essex County GOP Leader

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — What kind of impact has President Trump had on law enforcement officers in the United States? According to Nutley Township Commissioner and New Jersey Trump booster Steven Rogers, an overwhelmingly positive one.

On Tuesday, Rogers, the New Jersey manager for Trump 2020 and a familiar face to Republicans in the Essex County area, appeared on a Fox News segment in support of the president. Speaking on Fox News, the ex-Air Force sergeant, police officer in Nutley and East Orange and former lieutenant commander with the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence said that the Obama administration left a “chilling effect” on cops all across the country.

“The Trump administration thawed that chill as a result of the president standing up for law enforcement officers,” Rogers said. He added that he expects to see a trend develop over the next few years that will make for “safer cities” moving forward.

During his interview, Rogers quoted a Bible verse - John 15:13 – saying “greater love had no man but to lie down his life for a friend.”

“We thank God for a president who supports [police],” Rogers said.

• See related article: Nutley's Steve Rogers To Stump For 'Trump 2020' In Montclair

Referencing the Officer Down Memorial Page, which doesn't differentiate between "felonious" and "accidental" deaths, the Jan. 9 Fox News segment stated that there were 125 line-of-duty fatalities among U.S. law enforcement officers in 2017, down from 148 in 2016.

There was also a 33 percent drop in gunfire-related deaths in 2017, Fox News stated.

In 2015, the FBI's annual Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted report stated that law enforcement officers in the United States suffered 41 "felonious deaths" in the line of duty during 2015, almost a 20 percent drop from 51 deliberate cop killings the previous year.

• See related article: U.S. Police, Suspect Death Totals Released: How Many Cops Killed In 2015?

However, according to a recent project spearheaded by The Guardian, suspects are vastly more likely to be killed by police in the U.S. than vice versa.

Police in the U.S. killed more than 1,100 people nationwide in 2015, The Guardian reported. The Guardian's total included people who were shot, Tasered and struck by police vehicles, as well as those who died in police custody. Blacks suffered a fatality rate more than twice as high as whites, and Asians suffered a fatality rate less than half of Caucasians.

• See related article: 124 U.S. Cops Died This Year... But Police Killed 1,125 (Reports)

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