The opposition can easily spin the union as being soft-<i>er</i> on crime. Cop-on-civilian crime is still crime.<p>If perception is all that counts in politics (and it is), use the opportunity to smear everyone connected to crooked cops, especially politicians. Use language like &quot;state-sponsored murder&quot; to rile up state-skeptical conservatives, who provide most of the police union support. If you have connections to the press, run stories like &quot;Could Your Mayor Kill You (And Get Away With It)?&quot; or if you&#x27;re buzzfeed, &quot;6 Ways Your Mayor Could Kill You (And Get Away With It)&quot; or even &quot;Your City&#x27;s Death Squad (And The Lawyers Who Help With Murder)&quot;<p>Make people afraid for their lives and angry of the administration and it will put the administration on the defensive, which weakens the &quot;soft on crime&quot; tactic considerably. Once you&#x27;ve tapped into emotional reaction, it&#x27;s hard to steer the brain back to logic.