Police departments have criticized Trump's comments 
 
 Washington (CNN) Less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump told an audience full of police officers in New York to be "rough" on suspects, the acting head of the Drug Enforcement Administration sent his employees an email that rebuked the President's suggestion. "The President, in remarks delivered yesterday in New York, condoned police misconduct regarding the treatment of individuals placed under arrest by law enforcement," DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg wrote in a message to DEA's "Global Distribution" list Saturday. Rosenberg noted that he did not want to advance any sort of agenda, nor did he believe that his agents would mistreat defendants. Trump last Friday told an audience of law enforcement officers in Brentwood, N.Y., not to be "too nice" when throwing "thugs" into the back of a "paddy wagon." "Like, don't hit their head and they've just killed somebody, don't hit their head. I said, 'Please don't be too nice,'" Trump said to applause, referring to officers shielding prisoners' heads with their hands. “You and I know that all it takes is one bad officer to destroy the reputations of so many who work day in and day out to build relationships in these communities and serve with honor and distinction.’’ 
 
 Rosenberg, in his memo, told agents to "act honorably" to "earn and keep the public trust and continue to hold ourselves to the very highest standards" 
 
 "I write because we have an obligation to speak out when something is wrong," he said. "That's what law enforcement officers do. That's what you do. We fix stuff. At least, we try." Read more: 
 
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– "We are not thugs. We are professionals," says the leader of a black policing group, addressing a speech in which President Trump urged officers to not be "too nice" when arresting suspects. Perry Tarrant of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives met with AG Jeff Sessions on Tuesday to discuss Trump's comments, which he said could have "potential harm … in detracting from the legitimacy [of police], and detracting from the trust that local law enforcement and communities have," per the Los Angeles Times. Sessions said he would "hold any officer responsible [for] breaking the law," noting it took "one bad officer to destroy the reputations of so many" who "serve with honor and distinction," reports USA Today. Tarrant isn't the only one with a grievance. In a Saturday memo, acting DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg said he had "an obligation to speak out when something is wrong," then addressed how the president had "condoned police misconduct regarding the treatment of individuals placed under arrest by law enforcement." Rosenberg encouraged agents to "earn and keep the public trust and continue to hold ourselves to the very highest standards." Trump has yet to elaborate on his comments made to law enforcement officers in Brentwood, NY, on Friday. At the time, he suggested officers need not shield suspects' heads when placing them in police cars. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Monday, per CNN, "It wasn't a directive, it was a joke."