PHILADELPHIA LAW ENFORCEMENT ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSE RICH NEGRIN FOR DISTRICT ATTORNEY
Philadelphia, PA – Today the Rich Negrin for Philadelphia District Attorney campaign proudly announced that the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 5, the Guardian Civic League, the president of Philadelphia’s Spanish American Law Enforcement Association (SALEA), and others have all endorsed Negrin in the Democratic primary.
“To keep our city safe, we need to build a coalition of individuals and organizations that share a common vision for our future that prioritizes honest relationships, trust, and open lines of communication,” said Negrin. “That’s the coalition I’m seeking to build as district attorney and Philadelphia’s police officers are a critical part of it. They’re the folks on the front lines who serve and protect our residents. Working with them and community leaders from all over the city, I know we can do amazing things. That’s why I’m so proud to have the endorsement and support of three of the city’s most prominent law enforcement organizations.”
The Philadelphia FOP Lodge 5 is the labor union that represents police officers and sheriffs in the city. Lodge 5 boasts 14,000 active and retired officers.
Since 1956 the Guardian Civic League has represented African American police officers in Philadelphia and has been a forceful advocacy organization for improving the relationships between Philadelphia communities and the officers who serve them and fighting racism and disparity treatment of people of color, both in the law enforcement profession and in our communities.
As president of SALEA and vice president of the National Coalition of Latino Officers, Eddie Lopez has served as an ambassador between Hispanic members of Philadelphia’s law enforcement community and the citizens of the city. He has also helped create positive, lasting connections between law enforcement and the Hispanic community and recruit candidates for service in the Philadelphia Police Department.
“A few weeks ago we put up ‘help wanted’ signs around the city,” said Lodge 5 president John McNesby. “With Rich Negrin the search is over. Rich gets what it takes to keep our city safe. From his time as a prosecutor to his time as the city’s managing director, Rich has demonstrated a depth of understanding that is unmatched in the field. We know with Rich we’ll have a strong partner in the DA’s office and we look forward to working with him to strengthen and grow the relationships between our officers and the communities they serve.” “We wholeheartedly support Rich Negrin for Philadelphia district attorney because his vision for a city where diverse communities enjoy strong, lasting relationships with the officers who serve them is exactly why we were founded,” said Guardian Civic League president Rochelle Bilal. “We look forward to working collaboratively with Rich for years to come.”
“For me, the choice was clear: Rich Negrin has the background and the experience to work across longstanding boundaries and lines of division to create stronger communities in Philadelphia,” said Eddie Lopez, the president of SALEA and vice president of the National Coalition of Latino Officers. “I and the officers with whom I work know him as a person of the highest integrity, and that’s critical for that office right now. He’s been a prosecutor so he knows how to get the job done, and his experience in business and as the city’s managing director shows he knows how to lead a team. There is simply no one more prepared or more qualified than Rich Negrin.”
