On-Duty Texas Police Officers Wore Pro-Trump Hats. That's A Problem.

“You cannot take that position while in uniform,” said a San Antonio city councilman.
|
Open Image Modal
San Antonio police officers who wore "Make America Great Again" hats on the job will be disciplined, according to Police Chief William McManus.
Screeshot

A group of San Antonio police officers violated city policies when they donned “Make America Great Again” hats and posed for photos with Donald Trump on Tuesday.  

The Republican presidential nominee recently tweeted a video of the officers in hats bearing his campaign slogan. The footage shows Trump thanking them and some officers responding with a thumbs-up. Text at the bottom of the video reads, “We will make America safe and great again, together.”

San Antonio city employees are prohibited from participating in political activity while on the job. Tess House, a civil rights lawyer in San Antonio, said the display was inappropriate.

“They were acting within the scope of their employment. We’re talking about taxpayer money. They are on duty and abusing their position in order to take a stance and support a political candidate,” House told The Huffington Post.  

House is requesting a Justice Department investigation into the law enforcement agencies operating within the city ― specifically, the San Antonio Police Department and the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

The officers’ display of support for Trump also worries Maria Garcia, a former deputy in the Bexar County Sheriff’s Department, since her grandchildren are black.

“My granddaughter’s going to be driving because she’s 16 and it makes me afraid for her,” Garcia said.

Trump, the self-proclaimed “law and order candidate,” has built up his campaign by peddling destructive racial stereotypes: He has claimed that Mexicans are “rapists,” that black people are murderers and living in extreme poverty, and that Muslims are terrorists who should be banned from entering the United States.  

Garcia was on the force for five years before leaving to become a school counselor, and she says it worries her to think the officers support Trump’s policies and uphold his beliefs.

“It’s showing that they’re not gonna give [my grandchildren] a fair chance because anyone that follows him ― the stuff that comes out of his mouth ― it’s just upsetting,” she said. “As a police officer, you should be a role model. That’s not being a role model.”  

“The stuff that comes out of [Trump's] mouth ― it’s just upsetting. As a police officer, you should be a role model. That’s not being a role model.”

- Maria Garcia, former Bexar County Sheriff’s Department deputy

Community relations with police officers were already strained in San Antonio before the Trump hat incident. Sixty-three percent of the city’s population is Latino and 6 percent is black.

Of the seven people killed by police in San Antonio so far this year, based on data from The Guardian, five were Latino or Hispanic, one was black and one was white.

The San Antonio police union recently fought a new contract that would have given the police chief more power to punish officers for repeated misconduct. Union leaders wanted additional compensation for agreeing to new standards.

In the end, officers got a raise but the contract passed without reforms ― meaning that all misconduct marks over two years old still cannot be used to justify discipline for new incidents, and that short suspensions still get reduced to simple reprimands after two years if officers do not appeal them.  

Black Lives Matter protesters rallied against the reform-free contract that ended up passing, prompting San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor to create the Council on Police-Community Relations.

“These officers exercised poor judgment at a time when we’re trying to build bridges between community and police. These officers decided it was a good idea to pull a stunt,” said Rey Saldaña, a San Antonio city councilman who has worked to reform policing in the city.  

The Trump hat incident will only make resentment over the lack of police reform worse, Saldaña added. “That message, on top of this stunt, gives the community the sense that there is a loss of ... the ability of the city, or the ability of the community, to hold a police department accountable,” he said.

Indeed, some community members were outraged that uniformed police officers would wear pro-Trump hats.

“The actions of the SAPD officers while in uniform show the audacity to which they believe they can behave without repercussions,” said Mike Lowe, a San Antonio-based activist. “As easy as it was to don a hat representing a presidential candidate who has proven himself to be everything but presidential speaks to the heart of how police continue to carry out systemic oppression with impunity.”

Police Chief William McManus said the officers who were involved in the photo will be disciplined.

“I expect them to know better than to give the appearance of endorsing a candidate while on duty and in uniform, regardless of the political campaign or the candidate,” he said in a statement.    

Saldaña said officers should be “politics-blind to the people that they serve.”

“It doesn’t matter if these folks were wearing a Hillary T-shirt or a Bernie Sanders hat. The fact that it was a Donald Trump hat does not change city policy,” he said. “You cannot take that position while in uniform.”

UPDATE: Oct. 15: ― A second statement the police department released on Friday explains how the officers will be disciplined. Six supervisors who were present will receive a written reprimand, 17 officers will receive written counseling and all officers involved will undergo impartiality training. 

“As Chief of Police, I understand the concerns over this incident. Beyond violating Departmental and City policy, the officers used poor judgment,” McManus said. “San Antonio Police Officers have always and will always remain dedicated to professionally serving all citizens. We will continue to work tirelessly to remain a national model for police agencies across the country.”

This story has been updated with more complete data from the Guardian.

Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar, rampant xenophobe, racist, misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims — 1.6 billion members of an entire religion — from entering the U.S.

Support HuffPost

At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.

Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.

Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.

Support HuffPost

Before You Go

Donald Trump Is Name-Caller In Chief
"Crooked Hillary" - former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton(01 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump has also called Clinton a "disaster," "not a talented person or politician," a "liar" and "SAD." (credit:Mark Makela via Getty Images)
"Rapists" - The people of Mexico(02 of14)
Open Image Modal
In a June 2015 speech, Trump made inflammatory comments about Mexican immigrants, saying:

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best... They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
(credit:Kay Maeritz / LOOK-foto via Getty Images)
"Pocahontas" - Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.)(03 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump has repeatedly referred to the senator as “Pocahontas” because of an old controversy over her claims of Native American heritage. (credit:Robyn Beck/Getty Images)
"Liberal clown" - Arianna Huffington(04 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump was expressing anger over the Huffington Post co-founder's initial decision to cover his campaign in the site's entertainment section. (credit:Denis Balibouse / Reuters)
"Lyin' Ted" - Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)(05 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump was so proud of his nickname for his former opponent in the bid for the Republican nomination that he even spelled out "Lyin' Ted" for his supporters -- who happily chanted the taunt back. (credit:Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
"Dumb as a rock" - CNN's Don Lemon(06 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump bashed Lemon following an Aug. 9 CNN segment where the host had several panelists discuss Trump's "Second Amendment" comments, in which Trump implied his supporters could shoot Hillary Clinton if she won. (credit:Charles Sykes/Invision/Associated Press)
"Low energy" - Jeb Bush(07 of14)
Open Image Modal
If Trump had a favorite insult for the former Florida governor, this was it. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"An incompetent judge!" - Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg(08 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump blasted the justice after she suggested his presidency would be dangerous for the U.S. (credit:Mike Groll/AP)
"Little Marco" - Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)(09 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump lobbed this insult at Rubio on several occasions, including to his face during a debate among Republican presidential hopefuls. (credit:Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"Crazy!" - Fox News' Megyn Kelly(10 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump repeatedly attacked the Fox News anchor after he accused her of being unfair to him during a Republican presidential debate she moderated. (credit:Victoria Will/Invision/AP)
"Truly weird" (and it gets worse) - Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)(11 of14)
Open Image Modal
After a debate last year, Trump tweeted:

"Truly weird Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky reminds me of a spoiled brat without a properly functioning brain. He was terrible at DEBATE!"
(credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"Mental basketcase" - Conservative radio and TV personality Glenn Beck(12 of14)
Open Image Modal
The diss was delivered, naturally, via Twitter. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
"Slob, "degenerate," "disgusting" - Rosie O'Donnell(13 of14)
Open Image Modal
Trump has called the former TV host a "disaster" and said she has a "fat, ugly face." (credit:Dennis Van Tine/ABACA USA)
"Extremely hostile" - U.S. District Court Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel(14 of14)
Open Image Modal
The reason for Curiel's alleged hostility, according to Trump: his Mexican heritage. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)