During the nationwide rioting and protests that followed the 2020 presidential election, police enforcement was not backed in many locations. Some municipalities and states chose to defund police forces and subsequently did so, causing a crime wave that severely taxed the remaining force. Cases of high-profile criminals being caught by force were recast as examples of law enforcement gone awry. A few incidents of cops crossing the line were exaggerated by the media in an apparent effort to incite antipathy toward law enforcement.

In contrast, Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, has been quite grateful of police enforcement and has backed the force in several ways.

In August, the governor was slated to attend a political fundraiser in New York, but he canceled the trip a few days beforehand to attend the burial of a fallen member of his security detail who was slain in the line of duty by an apparently inebriated motorist. Special Agent Jose Perez was driving his police car when the accident happened on August 2, and he survived 18 days in the hospital before passing away from his injuries.

Last year, he made remarks encouraging police personnel whose posts had been cut in areas with less funding to migrate to Florida and join law enforcement there. Additionally, DeSantis canceled test fees for veterans and first responders seeking to transition into teaching positions in public schools.

In the spring of 2017, DeSantis approved a measure authorizing a $5,000 signing bonus for new police officers. Since the autumn of 2021, House Bill 3 has been under development.
The incentives are meant for newly hired law enforcement personnel or police from other states who desired to transfer to Florida.

In that moment, the governor declared:

“This is big. This is meaningful. It’s the right thing to do strategically for our state. We are a law-and-order state, and we support the folks who wear the uniform. The law enforcement profession is a noble calling, and we want to support you if you make that decision to go, and protect and serve. Today’s bill-signing is really monumental.”

And now the bonuses have begun to accrue. The governor said on Saturday that he has begun distributing bonuses to Florida’s newest recruits, fulfilling his pledge to honor law enforcement by giving Cape Coral police $5,000 incentives.

Saturday, according to Slaynews, DeSantis stated:

“We understand the vital, vital role that law enforcement plays in a situation like this [hurricane response], of course, because if you look at the people that were helping rescue folks, you had police officers, sheriff’s deputies, you had state agencies, the Coast Guard,” DeSantis said.

More on this story via The Republic Brief:

“But you also just have daily life — even apart from a spectacular disaster like we’ve just suffered — you want to have safe streets. You want to have safe communities. That used to be something in this country that we universally expected and had in most places.

“But you also just have daily life — even apart from a spectacular disaster like we’ve just suffered — you want to have safe streets. You want to have safe communities. That used to be something in this country that we universally expected and had in most places. CONTINUE READING…