LAPD officers urge leaders to 'defend the police' — not 'defund the police': 'Leaders [need] to behave like leaders' and stop bowing to 'bully tactics'

Robert Harris, director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League and a 20-year veteran of the LAPD, spoke with Fox News' Harris Faulkner on Monday about officers' hopes of receiving support from local government amid the "defund the police" movement.

What are the details?

During the conversation, he detailed the importance of local leaders supporting law enforcement rather than kowtowing to activists who are demanding that funds be stripped.

Faulkner began by pointing out how police officers staged their own protests over the weekend to fight against the "defund the police" movement, which took place on the heels of the City Council announcing its recent decision to slash the policing budget by $150 million.

"I think it adds to an already depressed environment in which our officers feel like they've abandoned by some leadership," Harris said of the move.

A portion of the Los Angeles City Council's resolution read, "We need to rethink what it is that makes people safer and makes communities stronger. We cannot just look at the police in isolation. There is no doubt that communities of color suffer disproportionately from negative interactions with the police."

What are officers going to do?

Faulkner continued, asking about the means officers are willing to take in order to protect officers and their important role in maintaining law and order.

"Retired police officers are launching a political action committee ... to help elect pro-police candidates. Do you think that that's necessary?" Faulkner asked.

Harris responded by insisting that everything is "on the table."

"I think everything is on the table at this point," Harris answered. "I think if we are actually going to move forward and try to find some real solutions that improve police-public outcomes that help to professionalize our profession we can have those conversations. ... But I think it's important for leaders to behave like leaders, and to stop bowing down and doing the flip-flopping that we see just because of bully tactics from some individuals within our communities."