(UnitedVoice.com) – Every day, America’s police officers put themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. That didn’t stop an actor from criticizing law enforcement recently — and a police union has now responded.

Alan Ritchson, the star of Amazon Prime’s “Reacher,” gave an interview to The Hollywood Reporter where he addressed a controversy where a photo of him wearing a shirt that read, “Arrest the cops that killed Breonna Taylor,” went viral. Taylor was a 26-year-old paramedic who was killed by police while she was in bed after they carried out a botched drug raid in Louisville, Kentucky. Nobody was ever convicted for killing her.

Ritchson responded to the anger over him wearing the shirt by saying it was a “tragic case” and claiming law enforcement officers “get away with murder all the time.” He went on to say that he found it disturbing that they are not held accountable for the crimes they commit and that he supports police reform. The actor said he thinks cops should have to spend more time training than someone who wants to be a hairstylist.

The National Fraternal Order of Police was furious over the actor’s comments. They posted a photo of him on X, formerly Twitter, and said that police officers are “doing a job he doesn’t have the courage to do” while he’s having his forehead powdered on a movie set.

The union went on to say that other actors fire blank bullets at him, while “officers feel the heat of the bullets as they pierce their skin.” The FOP told the actor that unlike him, cops don’t get any second takes. They said he is another “useless Hollywood actor” who is just “virtue signaling for attention.”

While Mr. Ritchson gets his face and forehead powdered on set, our officers are out doing a job he doesn’t have the courage to do.

While he gets to hear loud pops and have blanks fired at him, our officers feel the heat of the bullets as they pierce their skin.

There are no… pic.twitter.com/50CbfGfQ46

— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) April 12, 2024

Ritchson saw the remarks from the FOP and wrote a long Instagram post, saying it was exactly the “kind of emotionally immature response” that concerns him about the police today. He said that if the leadership responds that way to someone who peacefully disagrees with them, then what do “unseen interactions in the street” look like?

The actor asked if Americans really want people who anger so easily and “bully like school children to have a gun” and an untouchable union. He then spoke directly to the union and said there are many good cops, but those who aren’t good should be held accountable.

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