Wednesday, July 19, 2017

My Washington Times Piece On Why The War On Cops Is A War On All Of Us


The Washington Times published my piece on the war on cops:

As a writer, I’ve gone out on patrol with police officers, accompanied narcotics squads on drug raids, observed detectives investigating murders and other crimes, and I’ve interviewed police commanders and commissioners in station houses and police headquarters.

I’ve witnessed how police officers are treated with suspicion, spite and scorn by some. But I’ve also witnessed crime victims and frightened citizens who were relieved and comforted by an officer’s presence.

There is a growing anti-cop campaign in the country that unfairly labels all police officers racists, crooks and murderers. The campaign includes public rants, violent protests, excessive lawsuits, political posturing and unflattering portrayals in popular culture. And too often, this anti-cop crusade leads to the murder of a police officer, as we’ve seen in New York, San Antonio, Washington D.C., and other cities around the country.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s preliminary mid-year officer fatalities report for 2017, there was a 30 percent increase in police officers killed in line of duty compared to the same time period last year. As of June 30, the report reveals that 65 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty, a rise from 50 officers killed in the line of duty during the first half of 2016.

… Considering this dangerous and tragic trend, one begs to ask the question — is there a war on cops?

Who better to ask than Joseph Wambaugh, a former detective sergeant and 14-year-veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as the author of classic police novels such as “The New Centurions” and “The Choirboys,” and true crime classics such as “The Onion Field”?

“Not a war,” Mr. Wambaugh replied. “But a guerrilla action by partisans of the left who primarily control the media, and those who live and die immersed in identity politics.”

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:
  




2 comments:

  1. Bravo Zulu, Paul. That's a great article. I wonder: how do we put an end to the anarchy against police officers? What's the workable solution? I'm concerned about the dark hostility afoot in society.

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  2. R.T.,

    Thanks.

    No much we can do about the public campaign, as we have freedom of speech, other than push back, as I tried to do.

    But we can take better security measures with our police officers, such as double up cops.

    Lone cops are often the target. Two cops in a patrol car is more expensive, and the police chiefs say radio connects all cops, but I'd like to return to two cops in a patrol car.

    Also having Obama, the most anti-cop president, perhaps ever, out of office certainly helps.

    Paul

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