BRUCE, Miss. (WJTV) - The Mississippi Association of Police Chiefs calls the Forest Hill High School band’s recent halftime show “deplorable, disgusting,” and says the lesson learned here, after the recent public backlash, is that there “are consequences for actions.”
“On behalf of police chiefs throughout Mississippi, we find the act of allowing students to portray themselves as holding SWAT team members hostage with a weapon to be deplorable, disgusting, and outrageous,” police chief and president of the association Walter Armstrong said.
“It is never okay for students to participate in something that defiles and desecrates a law enforcement officer. The adults in charge here should know better.”
Armstrong said that amidst police efforts to nurture better relationships with communities, the association is saddened to see the Jackson school glorify violence which hurts “families, communities and our colleagues all too regularly.”
“Particularly disturbing is that this occurred in Brookhaven where two of the fallen officers were memorialized and buried this week,” Armstrong said.
“Schools should be places where we partner with school officials to keep building trust and respect between the public and law enforcement. For our part, we will continue to push for that outcome.”
Armstrong asks for continued prayers for the families, friends, and officers of the Brookhaven Police Department and the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
