Friend –

How do police continue to take lives without consequences? Why, after a year of historic protests and millions advocating for an end to over-policing and for more community-led alternatives – has this change been so difficult to achieve?

A major reason is the pervasive yet hidden force of police lobbyist groups and it's why we're reaching out. The ACLU just launched a campaign to expose the lobbying power of police, dismantle their protections from state laws and local contracts – and foster the genuine public safety that BIPOC communities are demanding.

But we'll need as many supporters like you as possible in the face of such colossal interest groups. Are you in? You can expect resources from us soon for taking local action – but first, equip yourself with the facts (which you can dive deeper on here):

• Police violence is its own threat to the safety of community members: Police killed 1,127 people in 2020 and 1 in 1,000 Black men can expect to die at the hands of police.
• Despite this reality, police lobby for protections no other people have and that are extremely problematic and harmful to communities they purport to serve.
• Locally, lobby negotiations with city and county officials lead to egregious police contracts that permit, among many other things: destroying an officer's disciplinary records over time, appealing an officer's discipline or firing to a panel of their peers, or even tossing out misconduct complaints entirely.
• Nationally, police lobbyists like the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) spend millions each year to influence politicians and legislation and have successfully lobbied for Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights state laws in nearly half the country – granting officers special protections from discipline and blocking holistic public safety systems.

ACLU Supporter, that is only a bird's-eye view of how police lobbyists enable this architecture of impunity. If we are ever to truly hold officers accountable and scale back their role in a way that invests in communities instead – then we have to address how much police lobbyists consistently undermine all these efforts.

It's long past time our country focus on protecting people, not police lobbyists. That's what the ACLU has set out to accomplish in this dedicated campaign – and why we'll need you in the work ahead. Read up on these critical efforts today and be ready to act soon.

Thank you,

Paige Fernandez
Pronouns: She, her, hers
Policing Policy Advocate, ACLU