OPELIKA — Despite the prevailing anti-police sentiment coming from the political left in America, Alabama’s top law enforcement official is not backing away from being a vociferous advocate for police in his state.

On Saturday, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall told those gathered at Alabama’s Fraternal Order of Police Conference at Lee County’s Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa at Grand National acknowledged professions, including law enforcement, change with the times.

However, he argued changes, such as bolstering other efforts like mental health, should not come at the expense of law enforcement.

“I can tell you as a lawyer, I am better now than when I started,” he said. “The practice of law has changed throughout the time I’ve been doing it, just as those of you in here with a little bit of gray hair know the practice of law enforcement, this profession has changed over time. We embrace that. We are innovative in that regard. We will continue to embrace that innovation. But we also believe in the rule of law.”

“I’ve had many discussions with you recently, arguing about defunding the police, and that we ought to put money into mental health care,” Marshall continued. “The people in this room are the true mental health officers in this state. We’ve been talking about that for a long time. We embrace the fact that we want to encourage more resources to be in place for mental health services. That is a good thing. But not at the expense of law enforcement. We have to continue to talk about what our brothers and sisters every day are dealing with going to work to be able to support their communities.”

Marshall also offered words of encouragement for attendees in his remarks.

“I’m here to tell you, thank you,” Marshall added. “Keep your chin up, and understand there is a vast majority of people right now who know what you are doing matters. I’ll continue to help you be that voice, and if I can’t speak on your behalf, I might as well go to the house.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.