Dr. Mehmet Oz holds "Safer Streets" rally in Harrisburg, touts law enforcement support
HARRISBURG (KDKA) - In Harrisburg on Wednesday, Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz held a rally as part of what he has branded his "Safer Streets" campaign.
Oz was endorsed by the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association.
After the rally, Oz was joined by former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley at a news conference.
Oz leaned on the support he's received from law enforcement groups across Pennsylvania and said he has heard from police that they're tired of not feeling supported by their communities.
"I've heard them say over and over again, they don't feel supported, they don't feel funded," he said. "We're losing people. In Philadelphia, I'll give numbers, 45 percent increase in early retirement, a dramatic increase in folks just leaving the force and they can't recruit any young people."
Statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department showed there was a 48 percent increase in police officers entering the "deferred retirement option plan" which puts officers on track to retire four years after entering the program.
Meanwhile, there were 32 outright retirements, eight fewer than in 2019.