Two members of the Pittsburgh Police Department’s motorcycle unit who were injured in the shooting that nearly took the life of former President Donald Trump have been reassigned as punishment for helping protect Trump without proper authorization, police reported exclusively. WPXI.
Ahead of Trump’s fateful rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, Pennsylvania State Police asked Pittsburgh police to provide motorcycle officers to escort Trump’s motorcade from the Allegheny County airport to the rally and back. The police provided 10 such officers.
Some law enforcement officials appeared unhappy that their officers were joining the Trump security force when First Lady Jill Biden was also in the city and needed to provide security for her motorcade.
Four of the 10 officers were wounded by shrapnel during the shooting that struck President Trump in the ear and killed former Fire Chief Cory Comperatore. Despite their injuries, some officers were recorded on video aiding other officers. The officers were ultimately treated at the scene, although one officer was taken to a hospital for further treatment.
A few days later, two of the injured motorcycle officers, both supervisors, were transferred to other units within the police department: one was assigned to Zone 1 on the North Side and the other to Zone 3 in Allentown, WPXI reported.
Sources told WPXI that the FBI claims the officers were never authorized to help protect Trump, but the officers insist they were.
Some in the police department were apparently unhappy that their officers were joining the Trump security force when First Lady Jill Biden was also in town and needed to provide security for her motorcade. Due to a police shortage in the city, motorcycle officers from a local university were sent to cover Biden’s entourage.
So far, the police department has remained tight-lipped about the reasons for the officers’ transfers. In an order formalizing the transfers, Police Chief Larry Siloto said only that the transfers were “for the good of the department.”
“This is an administrative decision made by the chief,” spokeswoman Kara Cruz said in a statement. [Fraternal Order of Police] As contracts are a personnel matter, I cannot discuss the reasons for the transfer.”
Fraternal Order of Police President Bob Swartzwelder suggested department leaders were focusing on “petty” issues rather than supporting officers injured in the line of duty, saying, “At a time when we should be celebrating the heroism of these officers, we’ve planted a frivolous administrative investigation in the middle of a serious political race.”
The Blaze News reached out to the local FOP for further comment but did not receive a response.
source: Shawn Davis Federalist
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