Some experts have previously expressed similar concerns about anti-police sentiment: “Right now, we are seeing it all over the country, total disrespect of police officers,” Maria “Maki” Haberfeld, a professor of police science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York told The USA TODAY Network.
“To me, policing is one of the pillars of a democratic society. When people start attacking police, it is the end of democracy,” Haberfeld said.
But it’s too soon to tell whether the recent rash of high-profile incidents is the beginning of a new, upward trend, Nix said. Historical data shows violence against police often dramatically ebbs and flows month-by-month.
That may be true, but January has been a nightmare for the families of police officers. No less than 24 officers were shot, four of whom were killed.
Those deaths include two New York City police officers and a Harris County constable in Texas who died by gunfire while on duty, according to their respective departments.
By comparison, in all of the month of January in 2020 and 2021, 17 police officers were shot, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The number of officers killed by a gun increased 36% from 2020, with 62 deaths in 2021. Reform advocates claim the violent crime is being stoked by “inequality;” do they expect us to believe that anti-police rhetoric plays no part?
Related: Studies Show That Anti-Police Protests Have Led to Rise in Violent Crime
Until we can come to terms with the constant barrage of hysterical and exaggerated rhetoric causing the increase in violence directed at police, the job of being a cop will only get more dangerous.
