Are Deliberate Attacks Of Police Officers On The Rise?
American Police Beat published an article about deliberate attacks on law enforcement officers. The article was written by Art de Werk of the Ceres, California Police Department.
Cops face a new kind of lawlessness
By Art de Werk
The recent cold-blooded murder of California Highway Patrol Officer Earl Scott marks the fifth death of a state traffic officer in the last five months alone. In total, 17 California officers have died in the line of duty in 2005, with five of those having been murdered by an assailant. Of those five, our own Ceres Police Sergeant Howard K. Stevenson was gunned down in brutal, pre-meditated fashion by a drug-crazed gang member who was AWOL from his military obligations.
There have also been numerous other vicious assaults on our peace officers in the last year where they were lucky enough to escape alive but suffered severe, life-long, debilitating injuries as a result. I cannot estimate the large number of deliberate attacks on our peacekeepers during the past several years. Fortunately for those officers who survived these attacks unharmed, they were able to spend time with their families at the end of the day. We do not hear much about these attacks in the media since they are so common and apparently not interesting enough to warrant coverage.
The “police vs. criminals” environment has changed radically during the last several years. We are now seeing individuals going to great lengths to kill police officers. They arm themselves with high-powered firearms. In some instances these killers wear body armor and try to lead the potential victim officer into a situation of disadvantage. In this new, more dangerous era, gang terrorists have incorporated a strong anti-police sentiment into their codes of conduct and it is now considered honorable to kill a cop. For some of them, the prospect of doing a life sentence or facing execution is of little concern.
It used to be that criminals did their best to run from the police in order to effect their escape. They generally did whatever was possible to get away from the police and to avoid a direct confrontation if at all possible. Those days are apparently over. There are many reasons why the change has taken place. To begin with, there are now unprecedented numbers of gangs and individual gang members within the larger population. They are fully engaged in criminal activities for profit and the police are the primary force that disrupts their illegal activities. Gangs and other modern criminals operate in a culture that values violence and indifference to human life. They even kill each other for minor infractions of their own unwritten codes, like crossing imaginary “turf” lines, “disrespecting” one another and committing various other acts that might not be to the liking of the gang leadership. By any measure, the standards by which they live and in how they judge right and wrong are very unfamiliar to people occupying a place in mainstream society. Consider the impact of Hollywood. Movies without multiple killings and other violent acts do not draw the numbers of patrons needed for big profits.
The media, in some very significant cases, have turned murder trials into a virtual circus. The reporting seems like the emphasis is on the gamesmanship and strategy for winning the case (for both sides), rather than reinforcing appropriate societal values relating to the sanctity of life and calling attention to the pain and suffering that follows in the wake of these murders.
The reasons for attacks on the police notwithstanding, it is a fact that no person can, at all times, do the things required to ensure their absolute safety. And so it goes for the police. In order to stay absolutely safe, we would have to cease doing our jobs, and then, of course, there would be anarchy. We do our jobs with the understanding that our lives are on the line, but the trend of increased assaults on officers over the last several years is starting to reveal cracks in the fabric that holds society together. For our part, we will continue to protect and serve in selfless fashion, without pause and with bravery and professionalism.
As the threats become more formidable, we will adapt and stay strong in order to keep protecting the weak and innocent. Law-abiding citizens should feel outrage at these senseless, macho-induced assaults on our police. It’s also time to take a hard look at these problems we have been too willing to accept as normal and then must decide what we have to do to reverse the destructive course we now appear to be on.
