Conn Dems Propose Police Force to Investigate "Far Right" Groups
Connecticut Democrat Martin Looney (yes, that's his real name), published a press release January 22nd proposing for a new department within the Connecticut State Police to combat "far right extremism." The proposed agency would be publicly funded.
Combating Hate Crimes & Violent Right-Wing Extremism
To finance and create a new department at the Connecticut State Police which will specialize in investigating far right extremist groups and individuals.
Senate President Pro Tem Martin Looney said the legislation seeks to fight "potential" hate crimes but emphasized that his party does not plan to persecute people for their political beliefs, the Hartford Courant reported.
“Unfortunately, people who entertain hateful beliefs … are protected as long as [those beliefs] don’t result in hate-crime actions. That’s what we’re talking about,” Mr. Looney told reporters Wednesday. “We want to be more aggressive in enforcing our laws and identifying likely sources of potential domestic terrorism acts against religious institutions and ethnic institutions.”
You Will Have a Shortage of Cops Applying
Having been a police officer in California's East Bay (the area around Berkeley and Oakland), I came across all sorts of political groups during protests in those cities and mine. By far, we had more problems with far left groups like ANTIFA than we did with groups that could remotely be identified as "far right."
The other issue Mr. Looney isn't considering is that no self respecting cop is going to sign up for this new department. A majority of police officers identify as conservative. As police officers, we have seen leftists identify people as "far right" because they support President Trump, or even people protesting lawfully while armed like the recent protests in VA. So, who gets to decide what "far right" is? What about leftist groups like ANTIFA or Berkeley's By Any Means Necessary?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBnlxtgJJlI
A Move to Restrict Your Gun Rights
By setting up an agency that only goes after "far right" groups and not all groups like ANTIFA or BAMN is an overt attempt at suppressing conservative thought. Mr. Looney should realize that it is not law enforcement's job to go after certain groups, but to investigate crimes and to protect the public. It is curious that Mr. Looney released this initiative on the heels of the recent Virginia protests for gun rights.