Complete Story
08/14/2020
Ford CEO resists some employees' push to end police vehicle sales
Source: Automotive News
Hackett, 65, said that while he and Executive Chairman Bill Ford support the Black Lives Matter movement and believe police should operate with more transparency and accountability, first responders “play an extraordinarily important role in the vitality and safety of our society.”
“Our world wouldn’t function without the bravery and dedication of the good police officers who protect and serve,” Hackett wrote. “But safety of community must be inclusive of all members and today, it is not.”
The fallout has been significant for some -- Facebook is being hit by a major advertiser boycott -- while Pepsi and others have abandoned brands rooted in racism. Amazon.com Inc. has implemented a one-year moratorium on police use of its facial-recognition software.
“It’s not controversial that the Ford Police Interceptor helps officers do their job,” Hackett wrote. But he pushed back against the notion that supporting police accountability and producing vehicles for departments across the U.S. are mutually exclusive.
“The issues plaguing police credibility have nothing to do with the vehicles they’re driving,” Hackett said.