After Reacher star Alan Ritchson made the claim that the police “get away with murder all the time,” the Fraternal Order of Police organization took some time to address the actor’s inflammatory comment, encouraging him to mind his own business.
In a relatively recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ritchson commented on the case of 26-year-old Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed during a drug warrant search in Louisville, Kentucky on March 13th of 2020, addressing an Instagram picture of his that went viral following the raid.
The picture in question saw the Reacher actor wearing a black t-shirt with a caption that read, “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor,” with a post that declared, “The dog might be tired but I’m not. Long road ahead.”
Addressing the image the actor shared in August of 2020, the actor told THR, “That was a tragic case,” adding, “Cops get away with murder all the time, and the fact that we can’t really hold them accountable for their improprieties is disturbing to me.”
“We should completely reform the way that we do it. I mean, you shouldn’t have to spend more time getting an education as a hairstylist than as a cop who’s armed with a deadly weapon,” he went on to propose. “We should make it very hard for people to make mistakes or abuse power in our institutions.”
Responding to his outrageous, generalized claims, the Fraternal Order of Police organization retorted on social media, taking to X to address Ritchson’s comments.
“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,” the organization prefaced. “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.”
Th statement continued, “There are no take two’s or take three’s in real life Mr. Ritchson. We have people who want to kill us and we play for keeps. Just another useless Hollywood actor, virtue signaling for attention at the expense of brave police officers around this country.”
“Go back to your pampered life and let the heroes handle this,” the FOP’s statement concluded.
On Tuesday, Ritchson would take to social media to respond to the FOP’s social media post, sharing a post on Instagram in which the Reacher actor decried the organization’s comments — labelling their response as “emotionally immature.”
“This kind of emotionally immature response is the epitome of what concerns me about law enforcement today,” wrote the actor, as he proceeded to declare, “If this is how leadership handles a peaceful disagreement, what does life look like for those unseen interactions in the street?”
Ritchson inquired, “How does this shape the character of those police officers looking to management? Do you really want individuals so easily angered, who bully like school children to have a gun and the protection of an untouchable union? I don’t.”
“To [Fraternal Order of Police] : You belittle me for being incapable of demonstrating bravery, but I believe that’s exactly what I’ve shown,” the actor argued. “You’ve haplessly fired multiple shots at me simply because I have called for more accountability.”
He then stated, “I did this knowing people like you who crave a pat on the back and zero accountability would criticize me. Standing up to impossibly large institutions takes courage. I’ve never been a fan of blind allegiance which is dangerous and fertile ground for fascism, a political persuasion I’m averse to.”
“I also believe two truths can be held at the same time,” Ritchson claimed. “There are absolutely many good and brave cops who deserve the public’s gratitude and certainly have mine.”
The actor elaborated, “Simultaneously, it is true that there are rogue or ill-equipped officers who remind us that we need higher barriers to entry and stricter regulations so abuses are relegated to the past. Both can be and are true.”
“To only seek praise and ignore this need is extremely unwise and endangers those at risk of being ostracized and marginalized – which is who I was referring to in my Hollywood Reporter article.” he decried, as he proceeded to call out Governor Ron DeSantis’ bill that criminalizes harassment of first responders on duty.
“To make matters worse, in Florida, voters perpetuate these issues by continuing to support people like Gov. Desantis who just passed a law making it illegal for anyone other than the police to police themselves,” Ritchson condemned. “This, lack of transparency would be laughable if not so deadly.”
“I’m certain efforts like these take us further from the world I hope to leave for my children, which is one with extreme prudence when deciding who we arm and a glass house for public institutions. Especially ones with the ability to end lives. So thank you for your service and yes… I do think like that,” the actor concluded.
In the same interview with THR, Ritchson made several inflammatory comments about politics and his self-professed Christian faith, including targeting the likes of former president Donald Trump, whom he baselessly labeled as “a rapist and a con man.”
“I’m a Christian quite simply because of what Jesus calls us to do. Love other people until death,” Ritchson claimed. “It doesn’t mean we’re all to be hung on a cross, but how can I suffer for you? That is a beautiful thing.”
He would then proceed to elaborate, “Christians today have become the most vitriolic tribe. It is so antithetical to what Jesus was calling us to be and to do,” before he took a jab at the former president.
“Trump is a rapist and a con man, and yet the entire Christian church seems to be treat him like he’s their poster child and it’s unreal,” Ritchson unfoundedly accused, adding, “I don’t understand it.”