July 13, 2022 / Mahopac, NY – The New York State Fraternal Order of Police (F.O.P.), the nation’s oldest and largest national association of law enforcement professionals, has officially joined the long list of first responder organizations to endorse Kevin Byrne for Putnam County County Executive. Assemblyman Byrne has consistently secured the support of the F.O.P. in all of his previous elections, but this is the first time he has secured the powerful endorsement for county executive.
In a letter to Byrne, NYS F.O.P. President Michael Essig wrote, “We are pleased to advise you of our endorsement of your candidacy for election as Putnam County Executive. As the oldest and largest national association of law enforcement professionals with over 20,000 members statewide, we have based our endorsement upon your demonstrated and continued support of police professionals.”
Essig continued, “Further, as police professionals who most experience and witness the trauma and effects of criminal behavior wrecked upon our fellow citizens, we understand, all too well, the significance of dedicated public servants as you who possess the courage and compassion to promote the confidence in our government and courts.”
Byrne who is an associate member of the F.O.P. Stephen P. Driscoll Memorial Lodge 704 and a former volunteer firefighter and EMT thanked Essig and his board, “I’d like to thank President Essig, his board, and all the remarkable men and women who stand up for our brave police officers for their endorsement of our campaign. In both my public and private life, I have always had a strong appreciation for the dangerous work our brave police do on a daily basis. To the men and women in blue presently serving, to the retirees who served, and to all their families, thank you.”
The endorsement from the F.O.P. is the first of its kind in recent memory and follows the decisive endorsements from both the Putnam County Republican and Conservative Parties, in addition to numerous other labor and first responder organizations including the Westchester Affiliated Police Associations (APA), Westchester Police PBA, Westchester-Putnam Building and Construction Trades, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (NASRCC) Local 279, Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) Local 1-2, CSEA, Environmental Police Benevolent Association, the Uniformed Firefighters Association of New York City, Westchester County Corrections Officers Benevolent Association, Westchester County Corrections Superior Officers Associations, and the Teamsters Local 456.
Read the full copy of the endorsement letter below: