BREAKING NEWS – Richmond, California – A candidate for a district attorney seat in California is taking heat for saying cop killers don’t deserve the death penalty because “it’s part of the risk [police officers] take.” Attorney Lawrence Strauss — who made the comments at an April 24 forum for the June Contra Costa County District Attorney election — was criticized by local police union presidents, one of whom said Strauss’ comments were “archaic” and “extremely inappropriate,” The Mercury News reported. “Law enforcement officers are hired to ensure the public’s safety and enforce the constitution and laws of the state. We are not pawns for a brutal dictator,” said Contra Costa County Sheriff Sgt. Sean Welch, president of the agency’s officer union. “Strauss’ performance last night should have made it clear to anyone voting in the primary election that he should not even be on the ballot for district attorney.” Unmoved by the criticism, Strauss made a second controversial statement at his fundraiser, when he said, “Wives should not be permitted to call the police accusing their husbands of domestic violence, because they assumed the risk when they got married, knowing it is a real possibility that they might get martyred.”
