A rash of disrespect, efforts to defund and demoralize police by leading Democrats, are having a secondary – and devastatingly human – effect. In January, now February of 2022, a record number of police officers were shot. This carnage must stop. Leadership must speak out to stop this horror.
A few miles north of where I live in Maryland, two officers were shot on February 11. This was just the most recent tragedy, capping a string of reprehensible shootings of innocent, honorable, courageous police officers, each of whom rises daily to protect the nation, their state, community, all of us. See, e.g., UPDATE: Frederick police officers, suspect from Friday’s shooting identified.
In January, 24 police officers were shot, four were killed. In the first week and a half of February, 16 officers have been shot. As the head of the Fraternal Order of Police said at the start of February, this is “the worst I have ever seen.” See, e.g., Law enforcement reacts as January sees 24 police officers shot, including 4 killed; OFFICER SHOT OR KILLED.
Bluntly, police are the primary deterrent to violent crime, a deterrent that works only when a nation, and each of the nation’s citizens, respect the officer and job – filled with risk, danger, loss, cost, and courage.
We are blessed by what is objectively – by any measure – the most honorable, accomplished, best trained, equipped, and respectful police force in the world.
Having served as Colin Powell’s Assistant Secretary of State, formally authorized to manage the training of police forces around the world, from Iran, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Colombia to Thailand, Bolivia, and Botswana, I can attest that no police officer in the world is more respected – than an American officer.
How ironic then, that after all the extraordinary police training, risks and oaths selflessly taken, daily engagements with those who would attack, rape, steal, threaten, kill, and defeat our security and take away your peace of mind, we live to see – in our own country – political demeaning of our police.
The time has come to say, “Stop this!” The gamesmanship, partisanship, elevation of individual aberrations and cases to a systemic whitewash, methodical disparagement of good officers, broad-brush accusations of racism, killing recruitment, retention – and now of officers themselves – must stop!
The use of an exclamation point in a column is rare – but needed here. America is only safe by virtue of high principles and historic institutions upheld, serious crimes deterred, citizens respecting police officers, and those offices rightly believing the public has their back – which they, we should.
So, in this perilous moment for your local police, as well as those who serve at the State and federal levels, think harder. Think truer. Do not let disrespectful, damning political rhetoric alter the truth. We owe our lives and liberty, our homes, and family safety to police officers. Let them know. Then, spread the word. We cannot live in a country where good officers face deadly effects from political malignment. Honor your local police, openly and without hesitation – because they honor you every day.
Amen brother.My own dear son is a former combat marine and now a cop in Washington state.I pray for his safety every day.
If you seriously want this to stop, you need to remove the Democrats from control in the states where all this crime and violence as escalated. That includes from the Governors down to the local Mayors and Council members. Every single bail reform law they passed, every single early prison release law they passed and every other soft on crime law and policy enacted must be repealed. All this anti-cop rhetoric must be ended and the law enforcement community must be shown the respect they deserve.
What we are seeing now is a direct result of Democrat policies designed to de-stabilize society and sow fear within the public. All so the public clamors for the government to do something and the very politicians that created the problem become more powerful. Think! We cannot continue to be PC and be afraid to call this for what it is or take the necessary actions required to correct the situation. If all we do is talk about it, but do no concrete actions to fix the problem, then all we’ll see is conditions worsen over time as more and more cities and towns become criminal war zones.
We need to realize that the only thing between us and chaos is that thin blue line.
May God bless and keep everyone of the safe.
After the horrific and wrongful death of George Floyd by a few police (they are paying dearly for there misuse of the law they took an oath to protect the citizens of our country) The Marxist leftist democrats declared open season on all law enforcement agencies and police officers throughout the country. The deaths of many innocent police officers is the direct result of the abhorrent and purposeful attacks on the police. I live near New York City and there killing police everywhere and it seems like everyday right now. Woke DA’S appointed and funded by George Soros, and a Marxist progressive socialist agenda is not good for our law enforcement officers. It almost seems to me like they want a federal governmental takeover of our police agencies and that I believe wouldn’t be a good solution.
You forgot to mention a certain attack on D.C. police officers in January 2021 or does it depend on who’s doing the attacking ?
Amen brother.My own dear son is a former combat marine and now a cop in Washington state.I pray for his safety every day.
If you seriously want this to stop, you need to remove the Democrats from control in the states where all this crime and violence as escalated. That includes from the Governors down to the local Mayors and Council members. Every single bail reform law they passed, every single early prison release law they passed and every other soft on crime law and policy enacted must be repealed. All this anti-cop rhetoric must be ended and the law enforcement community must be shown the respect they deserve.
What we are seeing now is a direct result of Democrat policies designed to de-stabilize society and sow fear within the public. All so the public clamors for the government to do something and the very politicians that created the problem become more powerful. Think! We cannot continue to be PC and be afraid to call this for what it is or take the necessary actions required to correct the situation. If all we do is talk about it, but do no concrete actions to fix the problem, then all we’ll see is conditions worsen over time as more and more cities and towns become criminal war zones.
We need to realize that the only thing between us and chaos is that thin blue line.
May God bless and keep everyone of the safe.
After the horrific and wrongful death of George Floyd by a few police (they are paying dearly for there misuse of the law they took an oath to protect the citizens of our country) The Marxist leftist democrats declared open season on all law enforcement agencies and police officers throughout the country. The deaths of many innocent police officers is the direct result of the abhorrent and purposeful attacks on the police. I live near New York City and there killing police everywhere and it seems like everyday right now. Woke DA’S appointed and funded by George Soros, and a Marxist progressive socialist agenda is not good for our law enforcement officers. It almost seems to me like they want a federal governmental takeover of our police agencies and that I believe wouldn’t be a good solution.
You forgot to mention a certain attack on D.C. police officers in January 2021 or does it depend on who’s doing the attacking ?