EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.

>> WHAT'S STRIKING TO ME IS THAT

DESPITE THE UNRELENTING

OPPOSITION DURING THE FIRST

THREE YEARS OF THIS

ADMINISTRATION, THE PRESIDENT

HAS BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH SO

MUCH.

IN MY AREA OF LAW ENFORCEMENT,

FOR EXAMPLE, SINCE HE CAME INTO

OFFICE, WE BEEN ABLE TO PUSH

DOWN VIOLENT CRIME.

WE'VE EXPANDED ENFORCEMENT

AGAINST FIREARMS, AND I'M

ANNOUNCING A CRACKDOWN ON

VIOLENT CRIME IN THE NUMBER OF

CITIES THAT HE DIRECTED ME TO DO

ONCE THE IMPEACHMENT PROCESS

STARTED AND THE ABILITY TO COME

TO SOME COMPROMISE ON A VIOLENT

CRIME BILL FELL APART, HE

DIRECTED ME TO DO WHATEVER WE

CAN WITHOUT THAT LEGISLATION.

>> WITH REGARD TO WHY YOU WERE

HERE IN DETROIT, YOU WROTE A

PIECE THIS WEEK THAT TALKED

ABOUT THE LACK OF RESPECT FOR

POLICE OFFICERS IN THE

UNITED STATES, SOMETHING THAT

YOU ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT.

YOU SAID, WHEN WE SHOW OUR

RESPECT AND APPRECIATION FOR

POLICE, IT SAYS MORE ABOUT OUR

LEVEL LIBERTY AND JUSTICE THAN

ANY OTHER ACT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HAS BEEN

FUELING ANTI-COP FEELING IN SOME

PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES?

>> IT'S A MYSTERY TO ME.

WHEN YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT

IT, WE RELY SO MUCH ON OUR

POLICE TO KEEP US SAFE.

WE LEARNED A LESSON AFTER

VIETNAM THAT OUR HEROES WHO

FIGHT MORE WARS TO PROTECT US TO

RESERVE OUR RESPECT.

AT LEAST WE NOW SHOW THEM THE

RESPECT THEY ARE DUE.

WHEN YOU STOP AND THINK ABOUT

IT, THE POLICE ARE DOING THAT

ALSO AND THEY HAVE THE TOUGHEST

JOB IN THE UNITED STATES.

THERE IS NO JOB TOUGHER THAN

BEING A POLICEMAN.

WE DON'T SEEM TO SHOW THEM THE

SAME RESPECT AND RECOGNIZE THE

SACRIFICES THEY MAKE.

IT'S A HEAVY TOLL OF THAT JOB,

AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO PULL

DOWN THEY POINT OUT ANY A FULL

EMPLOYMENT ECONOMY, THERE ARE

MANY OPTIONS FOR THESE PEOPLE.

THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE

PEOPLE OF THIS CHARACTER WHO ARE

WILLING TO STEP UP AND TAKE

THESE JOBS AND THERE IS A

SHORTAGE OF POLICE THROUGHOUT

THE COUNTRY.

I THINK AS A COUNTRY, JUST AS WE

DID SOUL-SEARCHING AFTER VIETNAM

ABOUT HOW WE TREAT OUR MILITARY,

I THINK WE HAVE TO DO SOME

SOUL-SEARCHING ABOUT HOW WE

TREAT OUR POLICE.

>> YOU GAVE A DINNER PARTY TO A

COUPLE OF HUNDRED POLICE

OFFICERS, TREATING THEM TO A BIG

ITALIAN DINNER IN NEW YORK.

WHY DID YOU WANT TO DO THAT?

>> AS I SAID, I THINK -- THERE

IS NO MORE NOBLE JOB THEN

SERVING AS A POLICE OFFICER.

I WANTED TO CONVEY TO THEM THE

RESPECT I HAD AND THE

APPRECIATION I HAD FOR THE JOB

THEY DO.

I GREW UP IN NEW YORK CITY, NYPD

IS A POLICE FORCE OF MY YOUTH.

NOT ONLY NEW YORK'S FINEST, BUT

THE COUNTRY'S FINEST, AND I

THOUGHT GOING AND HAVING DINNER

WITH A LARGE GROUP OF POLICE

OFFICERS WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO

SEND THAT MESSAGE.

>> YOU TALKED IN YOUR PIECE

ABOUT SOCIAL JUSTICE D.A.S AND

PUT "SOCIAL JUSTICE" AND COURTS

THELMA QUOTES.

WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?

>> THERE'S THIS RECENT

DEVELOPMENT OR GEORGE SOROS HAS

BEEN COMING IN IN LARGELY

DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES WHERE THERE

HAS NOT BEEN MUCH VOTER TURNOUT

AND PUTTING IN A LOT OF MONEY TO

ELECT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT VERY

SUPPORTIVE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.

AND DON'T VIEW THE OFFICE AS

BRINGING TO TRIAL AND

PROSECUTING CRIMINALS.

BUT PURSUING OTHER SOCIAL

AGENDAS.

THEY HAVE STARTED TO WIN AND A

NUMBER OF CITIES AND THEY HAVE

IN MY VIEW NOT GIVEN THE PROPER

SUPPORT TO THE POLICE.

THEY ARE FOLLOWING POLICIES THAT

ARE ULTIMATELY GOING TO LEAD TO

AN INCREASE OF VIOLENT CRIME AND

MORE VICTIMS.

>> DO YOU THINK YOU PEOPLE DO

NOT TREAT THE POLICE OFFICERS

BETTER IN COMMUNITIES THAT THEY

ARE GOING TO SORT OF BITE OFF

THEIR NOSE TO SPITE THEIR FACE,

THAT THEY'LL END UP WITH YOUR

POLICE OFFICERS, FEWER PEOPLE

WHO WANT TO PROTECT THEM?

>> YEAH.

I WAS ACCUSED OF SUGGESTING THAT

THE POLICE ARE GOING TO WITHDRAW

PROTECTION.

THAT'S NOT WHAT I'M GOING

SAYING.

MOST POLICE FORCES ARE GOING TO

HAVE A HIGH NUMBER OF VACANCIES,

THE PROSECUTORS ARE POLITICAL

LEADERS IN THE JURISDICTION ARE

NOT SUPPORTING THEM, THEY CAN

EITHER STOPPING POLICE OR THEY

CAN MOVE TO A JURISDICTION MORE

HOSPITABLE.

I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD

FIND OURSELVES IN A POSITION

THAT COMMUNITIES THAT ARE NOT