Uniformed Tacoma police officer declares ‘Let’s go Brandon’ in resignation over police reform

“I’ll be signing off for the last time. I just wanted to say, ‘Cheers boys, and let’s go Brandon.’”

Those were the final words said by Rob Hollingsworth, an officer with the Tacoma Police Department, before resigning from the police force. The epithet against President Joe Biden was filmed in uniform, in a police car, and posted to social media.

In his final shift for Tacoma PD, Ofc. Rob Hollingsworth called out liberal leaders as “spineless” & “tyrannical,” asking cops not to violate the rights of freedom convoy participants.

He joins me for an exclusive interview at 5:30pm PST on Monday to discuss his sign off. pic.twitter.com/kssBUbyWnL

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) March 7, 2022

Hollingsworth explains that he resigned over the defund the police movement and its expression in a series of recent bills passed by the state Legislature that narrow an officer’s ability to enforce the law.

“Law enforcement does a fantastic job in this country. But we have so many administrations that are political pawns,” Hollingsworth told KTTH’s Jason Rantz Show.

“Mayors and police administrations have no backbone; they don’t support their officers. They kowtow to the cancel culture. It makes your job almost impossible to do,” he continued. “At the end of the day, I made a decision for my family to move forward and get out of law enforcement.”

The police officer called out HB 1310, an ambiguous police reform effort that required officers to only use force in the event of probable cause to make an arrest or risk immediate injury. While the Legislature would later pass HB 1735, which further clarifies use of force policy with the intent to better enable officers, the damage has been done for Hollingsworth and officers who have born the brunt of anti-police sentiments for years.

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“My department had a very drastic take on 1310 to eliminate even detaining somebody in handcuffs, putting our safety in jeopardy — not only ours but the citizens’,” Hollingsworth continued.

“I’ve had this conversation with multiple citizens in Tacoma, and, honestly, I haven’t had a conversation with one person that was for that bill. My department wouldn’t even draft policies in reference to the new legislative changes. Tacoma police are still operating under this gray area, and in law enforcement, you need to know what you’re able to do in a certain situation.”

Hollingsworth has been placed on administrative leave with the Tacoma Police Department, and his resignation is effective March 13.

“The Department had no prior knowledge of the individual’s personal political views, or their intention to post those views to social media while at work,” states a Tacoma Police Department news release. “The opinion expressed by this employee does not reflect the opinions of the City of Tacoma Police Department.”

Listen to Jason Rantz’s entire interview on KTTH with Rob Hollingsworth: 

Listen to the Jason Rantz Show weekday afternoons from 3 – 6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (or HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here.