LGBT Pride month has begun and law enforcement knows it. The Tampa Police Department (Florida) posted a video on social media that has incited public criticism. In the post, officers are seen showing off new rainbow police badges:

Criticism of social media posts

Photographs of some officers with the city's mayor, Jane Castor, were also posted on the police department's Facebook page. They also announced that the LGBT flag would be displayed at the town hall.

The initiatives, according to the post, were put in place to "ensure all members of our community feel included, safe and respected":

However, the post was harshly criticized online. Many people claim that law enforcement's job is to guarantee the safety of all citizens.

Many users described the initiative as a way to "promote" the woke agenda. Others criticized the use of public funds (taxpayer money) for this type of activity and some claimed that the police should be dedicated to protecting the residents of the city (which currently has high crime rates).

Crime records in Tampa

This criticism is reflected in the city's growing crime rates. According to Neighborhood Scout's safety indicator, Tampa exceeds the national and state crime averages:

Tampa: 4.92 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants.

Florida: 2.59 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants.

USA: 4 violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants.

The same is true for murders. The city's averages are higher than the entire nation as a whole.

- Tampa: 0.11 murders per 1,000 inhabitants.

- USA: 0.06 murders per 1,000 inhabitants.

In terms of documented crimes per square mile, Tampa far surpasses the total crimes recorded in Florida (39) and across the country (27) with a staggering average of 82.