PORTLAND, OR- This is breaking news out of Portland, Oregon.
Law Enforcement Today has learned of what appears to be a new tactic in the current war on police, and we are reaching out to our vast audience to warn our brothers and sisters.
This morning an officer was working in the 881 District, located in the Central Precinct in Portland, and was stopped in the area of South Corbett Avenue and South Lane Street in a marked patrol car.
The officer said that a male approached the patrol vehicle and broke out the back window (on the hatch — we assume this was an Interceptor SUV) and deployed pepper spray in the interior of the patrol vehicle.
Our sources tell us that the officer was able to remain calm, and was able to broadcast pertinent information over the radio. A short time later, the officer was able to locate a vehicle with the suspect inside and conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle. The involved male subject was arrested.
The officer noticed that the suspect vehicle matched the description of a vehicle which had been following him prior to the incident.
Upon conducting a search of the vehicle subsequent to arrest, officers found the following inside: a laser pointer, slingshot, throwing knives, pepper spray, rocks, and additional items. Officers believe, at least on a preliminary basis, that the individual is connected with other recent attacks on officers.
The officer was not injured in this incident, and should be recognized for being able to have a clear enough comportment in order to locate and identify the suspect.
This incident should serve as a reminder that even the most incidental contact, especially in such charged times as we currently find ourselves in, should be treated with the utmost amount of caution.
One need only look at this incident, as well as the shootings of the two sheriff’s deputies in Los Angeles County a few weeks back to realize that there is no such thing as routine in 2020.
Chief Lovell shared an internal alert with his department, which was shared with Law Enforcement Today:
“Given the nature of the event, I felt it important to share with our members for increased safety. Fortunately, the involved Officer was not injured during the event.
I applaud the Officer for maintaining calm and being able to locate and identify the involved suspect. Thanks to all who responded and continue to look into this case.
As police officers, we know that the vast majority of community members who approach and contact us do so with no intention to do us harm.
However, attacks like this one remind us all that there is the potential for people to try to take direct violent action against police officers. I urge you all to remain vigilant as you go about your duties.
As always, your safety is my top priority.”
Law Enforcement Today is pleased that this officer was not seriously injured and offers this as a reminder to our brothers and sisters to remain vigilant and go home to your families at the end of your tour of duty.
Warning: More police confirm reports of groups in residential neighborhoods, taking photos of homes with police cars in driveways
June 1, 2020 – WASHINGTON D.C. – Law enforcement officials from across the country have reached out to Law Enforcement Today asking us to warn police across America about a potential threat.
And since dropping the article on Monday morning, we’ve received word from numerous people letting us know they’ve seen similar suspicious activity in their communities.
We’ve spoken with countless officers in the past 12 hours from across the country – all of whom have reported that their departments have made internal changes over the past few days to ensure both the on-duty and off-duty safety of their officers.
Transparently – our team debated internally whether or not to cover this story. We are America’s largest law enforcement owned and operated media outlet, and we are unapologetically pro-police.
Although we don’t hesitate to call out and provide media coverage of bad apples, our priority is in giving the voice to law enforcement that they’re often denied in the mainstream media.
The last thing we want to do is put officers at risk by giving bad people ideas.
But soon after this threat started spreading like wildfire online, we had law enforcement from across the country reach out. They pointed out that the threat is already circulating.
Many have asked us to address it so that departments are aware of it and can take precautions to make changes, if they deem it necessary – especially given how quickly it’s circulating.
They made a valid point – it’s better to be aware of a potential danger and take precautions than to not know about it because of a national breakdown in communication.
It’s worth noting that we have NOT received any confirmation of this from the FBI. With that said, a number of agencies have confirmed for us off the record that they’re aware of it and are making internal changes. We’ve been asked for obvious reasons to not report which agencies they are.
Here’s what we’re told.
In a number of different communities in states ranging from California and Texas to Florida – reports have come in that small groups of individuals appear to be canvassing neighborhoods and taking pictures of homes that have police cruisers in the driveways.
“I can absolutely confirm this,” told us one police spokesman, who asked that his department be kept anonymous because of the threats. “We’ve received multiple reports throughout the weekend both in terms of phone calls and alerts that neighborhood residents are putting out on community watch apps.”
It comes as police are receiving direct, personal threats through social media, calls and emails.
“We and our children are receiving threats,” one police lieutenant told Law Enforcement Today.
The departments we spoke with said that they’re currently making policy changes so that take-home police cruisers are either garaged or – for now – left at the police departments.
“We expect danger when on the job,” said one sergeant. “But this is different. They are threatening to burn down our homes and kill our families.”
Officials have also told us that they’re instructing officers to make other changes, such as making sure uniforms aren’t hanging in personal vehicles while driving into work.
“Effective starting this past weekend, no police vehicles – including unmarked vehicles – will be brought up,” one Captain told Law Enforcement Today. “This isn’t to punish our guys – it’s to protect them and their families.”
We’ll keep you updated as this story develops – and you can send us information about what’s happening in your department or community at [email protected] Vetted information and sources will be kept confidential.
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