Sergeant Abimael Castro-Berrocales of the Puerto Rico Police Department was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop, and Park Ranger Margaret Anderson of the U.S. Department of the Interior - National Park Service, was shot and killed while attempting to stop a fleeing suspect. The third, Ogden (UT) Police Officer Jared Francom, was fatally shot while serving a drug-related warrant on January 4. Five other officers were shot in the Ogden incident and are currently in critical to stable condition.
Last night, Memorial Fund Chairman & CEO, Craig W. Floyd appeared on ABC World News to discuss the disturbing increase in firearms-related law enforcement fatalities.
“Our law enforcement officers are being asked to do more with less and we must provide them the necessary tools to do their jobs effectively and safely,” said Mr. Floyd. “And we need a tougher criminal justice system that will protect our country’s citizens, including our peace officers, who have become visible and vulnerable targets for criminals,” he added.
In 2011, 177 law enforcement officers died were killed—a 16 percent increase over the 153 officer fatalities in 2010 and an astounding 45 percent increase over the 122 officer fatalities in 2009. Seventy-one of the fatalities in 2011 were firearms-related incidents, a 20 percent increase over the 59 firearms-related fatalities in 2010.
Money is a major problem for our department. We are short officers on every shift. Some or our cars are pushing 200,000 miles, our radios have batteries that don't even last the entire tour. I actually brought pens from home because we don't have any in our supply closet. All of us still do the job at 100% but extra money for more officers would make a huge difference for us. Hopefully the economy rebounds soon and our tax flow increases.
ReplyDeleteI agree with TexasLEO. Budgets for our officers to do their job right and protect the community is imperative. I know we struggle constantly to achieve a smart budget for our guys at Palm Beach Sheriffs Office
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