May 15th, 2015 by WCBC Radio

The President of the Fraternal Order of Police Chuck Canterbury said this week that anti-police climate is taking its toll on the men and women in uniform and that morale is low in departments across the country.  One source reports that officers have stepped back from engaging in proactive policing, because they often see the same violent criminals they arrest immediately released on to the streets. Additionally, cops say that the fear of legal and political backlash, similar to what was seen in Ferguson, New York City and Baltimore is hurting morale. One source at the annual Police Week event in Washington DC said he was astounded at how young some of the violent individuals were during the Baltimore riots. Low morale doesn’t seem to be an issue locally according to Cumberland City Police Chief Charles Hinnant. He told WCBC News that morale is good within the department, but some officers are concerned about the lack of support shown for police officers during some of the high profile incidents that have recently….