Unceremonious

To the editor:

While former Metropolitan, D.C. Police officer Michael Fanone was receiving the Congressional Gold Medal for his heroic action in stopping the attack on the Capitol by the insurrectionist traitors, he was heckled by some of his ex-colleagues.  

Some current members of the Metropolitan Police Department in the Special Operations Division who were present jeered Fanone, called him a disgrace, and said he didn’t belong at the ceremony.

Fanone, who was not assigned to work on Jan. 6, 2021, responded to the Capitol when police called for backup, was attacked by the rioters and was hospitalized for his injuries. Fanone said that he has been criticized since he started speaking out about the riot, so he doesn’t bring his family to this and previous ceremonies for the cops who defended members of Congress.  

After the exchange was posted publicly, a former counterintelligence officer for the FBI, Frank Figliuzzi, slammed the police officers who heckled Fanone during a recent interview.

Figliuzzi, praising the true police heroes who were being honored for fighting to protect our democracy, said that the officers who heckled Fanone should find another job. He suggested they start with a donut shop where they can hang out and apply for jobs there.

Personally, as a retired NYPD police officer and a Vietnam veteran, I don’t understand police officers or members of the military who side with the insurrectionists. The commanding officers of police departments and the branches of the military should investigate all members who speak out in support of the January 6 insurrection or who criticize those who battled the rioters, and separate them from the services (dishonorably) as quickly as possible.  

They don’t deserve to have careers with police departments or the military, and they are an imminent danger to the dedicated police officers and soldiers who defend our nation.  

Right now, all the foreign terrorists around the world, put together, don’t pose as dangerous a threat to our American nation and our democracy as do our domestic terrorists, especially the traitors in Congress, in our military, and in our police departments.  

Michael J. Gorman