The Gist

Why Are Police Unions So Aggressive?

Former Boston cop Tom Nolan on why many police unions are angry at the public.

Police work to keep hundreds of protesters in a pen outside of Trump Tower along Fifth Avenue on Tuesday in New York City.

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Guest host Leon Neyfakh speaks with retired Boston cop Tom Nolan about the politics of police unions. While unions in other industries put on a progressive face to the world, police unions tend to be defensive of everything from disrespecting the mayor of New York to rough treatment of prisoners. But Nolan says he’s encouraged by their recent condemnation of President Trump’s comments about police violence. “I think they know the speaker of those words does not know what the hell he was talking about,” says Nolan, who now teaches at Merrimack College.

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