As the son of a retired law enforcement officer who was on the job for 37 years, I tend to vote for candidates and parties that protect the brave men and women in uniform who protect the rest of us.

Conservatives claim to support those in uniform and “back the blue.” They often portray Democrats as soft on crime and unfairly critical of police.

In some respects, they’re not wrong. For those on the left who care about civil liberties and worry about the emergence of a police state, those in law enforcement are a convenient foil.

But the evidence suggests there is also plenty of “anti-cop” sentiment within the Republican Party. Maybe some of that comes from how conservatives tend to advocate for small government and more rights for the individual — including the right to be left alone. Whatever the reasons, police aren’t getting as much love as they used to from those on the right.

Exhibit A: The 2024 GOP presidential ticket of former president Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio.

When Trump appeared recently at the annual conference of the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago, he was asked by ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott if he was still planning to pardon all the Jan. 6 rioters who were convicted of crimes related to the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Scott, herself the daughter of a law enforcement officer, specifically mentioned the crimes protesters committed that day against police officers.

“You called them patriots,” she said. “140 police officers were assaulted that day. Their injuries included broken bones. At least one officer lost an eye. One had two cracked ribs, two smashed spinal discs. Another had a stroke. Were the people who assaulted those 140 officers, including those I just mentioned, patriots who deserve pardons? Would you pardon those people?”

Trump responded: “Oh absolutely, I would. If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”

That’s outrageous. Americans should never forgive the violent insurrectionists who attacked police officers simply trying to do their jobs. U.S. Capitol Police officers were quickly overwhelmed as they attempted to protect the building. Officers of the D.C. police department were hit with baseball bats, attacked with bear spray and thrown to the crowd. At least one protester yelled out: “Kill him with his own gun!”

No, I don’t think I’ll ever pardon that behavior.

And those are just Trump’s recent sentiments. He’s spent the past few years fomenting mistrust for the justice system writ large, whether it’s the FBI or other authorities he feels are out to get him.

Then there’s Vance, a political chameleon who seems to have no trouble changing his views on issues like policing.

In October 2014 — two months after the killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old Black man, by Darren Wilson, a White police officer in Ferguson, Mo., sparked protests across the country — Vance wrote an email to a close friend from law school, Sofia Nelson, in which he declared: “I hate the police. Given the number of negative experiences I’ve had in the past few years, I can’t imagine what a Black guy goes through.”

That email was provided by Nelson to the New York Times along with about 90 other messages Vance sent her from 2014 to 2017.

I appreciate that Vance was trying to be sensitive regarding police violence. And he’s right that White people often cannot imagine what many Black — and Latino — people suffer at the hands of police in this country.

Nevertheless, I could have done without the “I hate the police” line. I’m curious about the “negative experiences” Vance claims to have had with police before he sent the email. Maybe they gave him a hint of what people of color go through.

But “hate” is an awfully strong word. And when it’s used against police — whether it’s by a person who is White, Black, Latino or of any other racial or ethnic background — I wince. Even private sentiments such as these can — if they come to light — foster more hatred against law enforcement and easily lead to more violence. That we don’t need.

As my family knows firsthand, police work has always been difficult. And, in recent years, because of increased public distrust of police, it has become nearly impossible. Those individuals who suit up every day and try to do it, while still making it home safe to their families at the end of their shift, deserve our utmost respect.

These days, they’re not getting it from either political party. This includes Republicans, who would have us believe otherwise.

Navarrette’s email address is crimscribe@icloud.com.