CBS’s Sixty Minutes featured Christopher Wray, FBI Director, on Sunday night. He shared his thoughts about the increasing violent crime rate and criminals targeting police officers.
Wray stated that violence against law enforcement in the country is one of most significant phenomena that doesn’t get enough attention. He claimed that officers are being killed at a rate one per three days.
The murder rate of police officers rose by 29%, while that of the rest rose 59%. Last year, seventy-three officers were killed while on duty.
Some of this is linked to the overall problem with violent crime. One of the most alarming trends we observed in the past year was that a large percentage of the 73 officers who were killed while on patrol last year were either ambushed or shot. He said, “… wearing the badge shouldn’t make you a victim.”
In April, the National Fraternal Order of Police reported that the number of shootings of police officers has risen by 43% since 2022. According to the police union, 101 officers were shot in 2022 by police officers alone.
Patrick Yoes, President of the National Fraternal Order of Police stated in a statement that “We are in crisis.” In my 36 years of law enforcement, I have never seen violence directed at law enforcement officers like it.
Yoes said that “Last Year was one of most dangerous years in law enforcement” and added, “With more officers killed in the line of duty ever since the National Fraternal Order of Police started recording this data.”
In 2021, the number of police officers being shot jumped by a large margin. This was far more than the general increase in violent crime.
“We are seeing more juveniles commit violent crime. That’s definitely an issue. There is a certain amount interstate gun trafficking and gun trafficking. It’s part. Wray stated that we are seeing the worst offenders returning to the streets at an alarming rate.
“Getting back on the streets” is a trend that George Soros-funded district attorneys and prosecutors have created. They allow criminals to walk after they have committed a crime because of low bail or no bail policies, but also decriminalize many other offenses.
Add to this the fact that police officers fear reprisal from the mob for enforcing certain crimes, and cops are more likely to be targets.
This is ultimately a local political problem that has been aided by prosecutors. They believe that the death of a few officers is the price to pay for a better system.
