More than a dozen San Antonio Police Department officers will be facing punishment for donning hats with presidential hopeful Donald Trump's slogan, "Make America Great Again" in a video posted via Twitter last Tuesday, Oct. 11 by the Republican Party nominee.
The video, which was posted at around 5:30 p.m., showed Trump smiling and posing for the cameras on the runway of the San Antonio International Airport. He was accompanied by a number of motorcycle officers in uniforms, with at least 14 wearing the Trump campaign's red baseball caps.
In Trump's video tweet, he called on the people to register as voters at the vote.gop website, which is run by the Republican National Committee. The video ended with a text saying "We will make America safe and great again, together!"
The officers' show of support garnered flak and criticism from city officials, police officers and regular people who emphasized the officers failed to display election decorum and violated department policies.
San Antonio Police Department Chief William McManus said more than 12 police officers will definitely face disciplinary actions after appearing in the tweeted video and being seen shaking hands with one of the presidential candidates.
Chief McManus added the officers practiced poor judgment by seeming to endorse a high-ranking political candidate while on duty and in uniform.
"SAPD officers are charged with protecting the entire community," said McManus in a tweet posted on San Antonio's official Twitter account. He added, "The officers displayed poor judgment. I expect them to know better than to give the appearance of endorsing a candidate while in uniform, regardless of the political campaign or candidate."
The officials in question are members of the SAPD motorcycle unit and were assigned to usher the Republican candidate's motorcade from the airport to a fundraising event and back to the San Antonio airport.
San Antonio Mayor Ivy Taylor expressed disappointment at the officers' actions and judgments, reported the San Antonio News Express.
"You can't do that kind of stuff while on duty," President of the San Antonio Police Officers Association, Mike Helle, also told the local newspaper of his disapproval on what the men-in-duty did.
He also thinks that it is unlikely for any officer to be severely disciplined, as the violation was not too serious. He thinks the incident would likely call for a written and verbal warning or an obligatory counseling on department protocols.
Currently, no official statement has been issued by any member of the Republican Party regarding the incident.
