The number of police killings is up this year and on track to reach a record high.
Unfortunately, two more police officers were killed by gunfire last week bringing the total for 2018 to 22. That is a disturbing number when you consider that the total for 2017 was 35. Making it worse, we are just starting the second quarter of the year.
If this trend continues, we could see more than 80 cops killed.
Shot for No Apparent Reason
Last week the two sheriffs deputies were killed in Trenton, Florida while sitting in a restaurant. Officials claim that it appears to have been an ambush. The shooting suspect walked up to the building and shot the two through a window around 3pm on Thursday April 19. When law enforcement arrived they found the suspect deceased at the scene.
Police Killings: Is It a War on Cops?
Is there some type of organized war against members of law enforcement? An ambush such as the one in Trenton certainly leads people to wonder if that might be the case.
Lending credence to this idea is the fact that members of the MS-13 gang have been instructed to “take out a cop.” NYPost.com reports that a credible informant told New York area tipped police off that the gang wanted to make “a statement” by killing a cop in the Hempstead, Long Island area.
According to the DailyCaller.com, police in the area have been cracking down on the gang too hard so it was “…time to take the streets back and take out a cop like we do in El Salvador.”
The Bottom Line
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, the number of law enforcement officers shot to death has fluctuated considerably in the last five years.
- 2017 – 46
- 2016 – 64
- 2015 – 41
- 2014 – 48
- 2013 – 32
But the current trend in 2018 raises concerns that police slayings this year could reach a new high. We feel a kinship with law enforcement officers and support them for the dangerous job they do every day.
If you have questions about protecting your property or employees call American Security Force today at 855-722-8585.
