Yoes, a 36-year law enforcement veteran who made his start with the St. Charles Sheriff's Office in Louisiana, told Reyes that the FOP stands at 380,000 members and is still growing.
Reflecting on the history of Police Week, he told Reyes, “Well, you know for 44 years… 44-years ago, a very small group of people, about a hundred people, showed up at Senate Park and had the very first national memorial service. And it actually grew almost double in size because a Boy Scout Troop was coming by and participated in it. And that was the very first one. Now, you look at what we now know as police week: We are now having our 44th Annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service on the lawn of the Capitol, and there will be 34,000 people. You know, for people who have never attended, it is the most humbling and powerful experience many people will ever have in their lives.”
When asked about the FOP’s legislative priorities for 2025-26, Yoes told Reyes, “We are being attacked as a profession.”We at the National Fraternal Order of Police are deeply grateful to the Trump administration for their unwavering and vocal support of law enforcement. We also extend our sincere thanks for the hospitality shown to officers from across the country as we gathered in our nation’s… pic.twitter.com/10j5ofHwE3
— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) May 18, 2025
He explained,
“You know, you look at any other profession, if you had the types of attacks that were happening in those professions, it would be congressional hearings. If there were coal miners that had a safety issue in mind, Congress would be having hearings with it. We have law enforcement officers every 28 hours of being shot in this country.
We have empirical data to show that we're struggling in this country with attacks on law enforcement, the rhetoric that has, you know, We're public servants, we're not public enemies. And the attitude towards law enforcement has shifted so much that it's becoming commonplace now to have violence against law enforcement.”
He continued lamenting, “It’s a given that we signed up for it. Well, let me tell you, nobody signed up to be shot in the streets. Nobody signed up for any of this. They signed up to make a difference in communities, not to be targets. So, we need Congress to step up. It baffles my mind how we can see so much carnage happening at the law enforcement offices across this country, but can't get them to pass an act that will hold people accountable for attacking law enforcement officers.”
Reyes asked the FOP President if the elimination of taxes on overtime proposed by President Donald Trump, and a key provision of the "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" under debate in the House of Representatives, per ABC News.
Yoes answered, “Let's just look, you know, we have a recruiting and retention problem in this country, and you're never going to fix the recruiting problem in this country until you fix the retention problem. The retention problem starts with law enforcement officers feeling like the job that they're doing that they're being valued for doing it, and in doing so, you're never going to be able to pay enough for what the job is worth, it's a society, it's safety in your community, everything else, that's the cornerstone, people feel safe… safe in their community.
But what you can make a difference with is just simply to show the people that are in your community working with you. That you are making your community safe, that you appreciate what they're doing. And eliminating overtime [taxes] is one of those steps where you're recognizing that. You're allowing them to better provide for the families, but at the same time, you're showing that we recognize just how much of an impact you're having on [the] safety [of] communities. I think it's great. And I applaud the president for pushing this forward. We need Congress to follow through with it.”
The FOP President concluded, “Look, we live in a great country, an absolute great country. Let's never lose sight of the fact that they are selfless men and women every single day, and suit up and show up every single day and make a difference in our communities. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Oh, we need to let them know that we respect and appreciate what they're doing 'cause it really is the lifeblood of what we do, the fabric of America. “
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