By Amanda Prestigiacomo | The Daily Wire
Former Rochester Police Chief La’Ron Singletary, who is
vying to represent the Empire State’s 25th Congressional District, told The
Daily Wire he can no longer support the Democrat Party because of its
anti-police rhetoric.
“The demonization, the demoralization, and the defunding
the police rhetoric from the Democratic Party, coupled with other ideologies
the Democratic Party started to take on caused me to leave the party,” said
Singletary, 42. “The Democratic Party was no longer the party that I knew it to
be, and no longer the party of my parents.”
Echoing the remarks of
another lifelong Democrat who left for the GOP, former President Ronald Reagan,
Singletary told The Daily Wire he “didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the
Democratic Party left me.”
“We live in a country that allows us to change political
parties if we no longer agree with the party’s beliefs,” he said. “When
politicians put politics before people, it’s wrong.”
Singletary made national headlines two years ago when he
stood up to now-ousted Democrat Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren, who was accused of
mishandling the racially charged death of black man Daniel
Prude and seemingly attempted to pin the blame on the police chief.
Singletary announced his resignation from his post on
Sept. 8, 2020, and his entire command staff went with him, in a clear rebuke of
Warren. The then-mayor fired Singletary after his resignation announcement.
“As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while
outside entities attempt to destroy my character,” he said at
the time.
Singletary later sued Warren and the City of Rochester
for defamation of character, creating a hostile work environment, and wrongful
and retaliatory termination. The episode, Singletary said, left him determined
to serve the public on his own terms.
“My desire, my commitment, and my passion to serve has
not wavered,” Singletary said, reflecting on the saga.
The lawsuit was settled in
February, with Singletary being awarded $75,000 and the restoration of his
health benefits.
“For me, it was about the principle of the matter and
clearing my name,” he said. “You only have one reputation and when it’s under
attack, you must stand up and fight, especially when you are right.”
In the filing against Warren and the city, Singletary
said that he “repeatedly refused to lie for Mayor Warren,” adding that
“pressure to support Mayor Warren’s narrative also came from other city
officials.”
Trouble has followed Warren in the wake of the Prude
incident, with the former mayor pleading guilty to
a campaign finance crime and having her home the target of a drug
raid.
Singletary, a lifelong Rochester resident, declined to
comment on Warren’s troubles other than to note advice he’s given to countless
young officers.
“I always told police recruits that we all have varying
degrees of intelligence, it’s judgment that will land us in precarious
situations,” he said.
Now that he’s switched parties, Singletary mused that the
events of the last two years may have simply driven him to where he always
belonged. He recalled growing up in a Democrat-identifying household, but
one whose values seem a poor match for today’s version of the party.
“While growing up in a democratic household, I’ve always
held conservative values,” he told The Daily Wire. “I grew up in the church and
my parents ingrained in me that if you work hard, you can accomplish anything.”
It was Singletary’s father who encouraged him to pursue
his love of police work at a young age.
“My brother was the athlete, so my dad bought him all the
sports equipment there was,” Singletary said. “I wanted to be a cop, so my dad
bought me a police radio from Radio Shack. I would ride my bike
throughout city neighborhoods, scanner attached to my belt buckle, going from
call-to-call. I would arrive on the call, watch the officers handle the
situation from afar, and when they were done, walk up to them, introduce
myself, and proceed to ask a ton of questions. It was the best thing in
the world to me.”
