Every major American city has seen a sharp increase in crime, but there has also been a corresponding rise in the number of assaults against law enforcement personnel, including police officers. Data from the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program show that assaults on law enforcement officers totaled 79,091. That was the highest recorded amount for a single year in the previous 10 years.

Although it is a national issue, it appears to have been most prevalent in the southern region of the country. The South had the highest number of police officers slain in the line of duty between 2014 and 2023, even worse than assaults. But from 32 fatalities in 2022 to 20 deaths in 2023, that rate fell by 38% in 2023. That was the lowest total since fifteen police officer fatalities occurred in 2015.

Both the situations and the weaponry were different. In 2023, requests to respond to minor assaults resulted in the majority of attacks on police officers. Among those, 6,783 incidents included the assault of cops. Calls related to drugs and narcotics were closely followed, resulting in 4,879 police assaults. With 466 officers hurt or attacked, the least number of police officer attacks using guns occurred. But the FBI claims that figure is also a 10-year high.

The statistics are not much better when it comes to police officers dying while performing their duties. Using FBI figures once more, the number of police slain between 2021 and 2023 was 194, which is greater than any other three-year period in the previous 20 years. That breaks down into 60 deaths in 2023, 61 in 2022, and 73 in 2021. In terms of the people who caused those killings, in 2023, 57 people committed the felony of murdering a police officer; 32 of those people had prior violent criminal histories.

It is true that working as a police officer is among the riskiest professions. However, why is there an increase in attacks by police officers? That’s probably one of the simplest questions to answer. Look no farther than cities such as New York City and others where paying bail is not the norm. A video from February of this year shows a group of undocumented immigrants—possibly as many as 14—attacking two New York City police officers. In the attack, six guys were accused; however, five of them were freed without posting bail. Without further delay, four of the men boarded a bus and left the town. Determining the message that a monetary bail sends is easy. It states that criminals do not have to worry about facing repercussions for their actions.

Add to these depressing figures politicians from blue cities and states who undercut police forces but still attend the funerals of officers slain in the line of duty. Authorities have recently ordered New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to avoid attending slain policemen’s funerals because rank-and-file officers know that these leaders do not support the police.

Author: Steven Sinclaire