NORTHAMPTON -- Walmart has withdrawn its offer to donate $13,000 in ammunition to the Northampton Police Department, Police Chief Jody Kasper wrote Monday in an email to Mayor David Narkewicz.

Kasper told Narkewicz the withdrawal was "communicated verbally" to one of the police department's firearms instructors Sunday morning.

"Walmart was surprised at the pushback related to their intended donation to the City," Kasper wrote in the email, which Narkewicz forwarded to City Council President Ryan O'Donnell and shared with The Republican. "I can't blame them. This donation would have saved the City money, and would have ensured that this unwanted ammunition was used for the critically important purpose of police training."

Kasper also said she was frustrated with the "continued pushback against the efforts" of the police department.

"Within City Council chambers, matters involving the police department quickly shift to aggressive anti-police rhetoric from a small number of community members," she wrote.

"Despite our dedication, recognition, and leadership in the field, we continue to experience a growing anti-police narrative in the very community that we serve so well," she wrote.

Narkewicz told O'Donnell that he was formally withdrawing the measure to accept the ammunition donation discussed at the council's Dec. 20 meeting, adding that he fully supported and endorsed the concerns Kasper raised.