State Watch

Minneapolis police union releases ‘Cops for Trump’ T-shirts following uniform ban

The Minneapolis police union announced it will be selling “Cops for Trump” T-shirts in response to a new dress code barring officers from wearing their uniforms in support of candidates at political events or in advertisements. 

Police Lt. Bob Kroll, head of the Minneapolis officers’ union, shared an image of the T-shirt on his personal Facebook page over the weekend. He said the shirts would be available for purchase on Monday for $20 each.

{mosads}The shirt features the state of Minnesota with stars and stripes as the background and the words “Cops for Trump” across it, along with three different law enforcement badges.

Kroll’s post noted that the money made from the shirts will go to charities the union supports.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the release of the shirts comes after the Minneapolis Police Department announced a new uniform policy last week, ahead of President Trump’s rally in the city at the nearly 20,000-seat Target Center, which sits in frequent Trump critic Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D) district.

Kroll alleged the department’s uniform policy, which was rolled out a day after Trump announced the Minnesota rally, is in response to the president’s upcoming visit.

The police department denied having a political motive, saying the decision had been in the works since early this year.

The Hill has reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department for comment.