Ah, the sound of children playing in sprinklers and the smell of 4th of July gunpowder. Hit the road with the camper and see the sights. Crank up the AC and pour the sweet tea. And maybe check your ammo.
Since the morning of summer solstice and the time of this writing five police officers have been murdered and one killed in a duty-related car crash. Another 55 citizens have been murdered in mass shootings during this period. Although this year’s statistics on officer assaults are not yet compiled, an average of 5000 officers are seriously assaulted every month, and that tabulates only those injuries that come to the attention of the FBI. The Fraternal Order of Police reports that 194 officers were shot in the first six months of this year. Injuries and assaults are vastly under-reported and do not include the kicks and punches and attempts faced regularly by police officers.
Here are some samples of what police have experienced in the past few weeks:
In Rush Spring, Oklahoma, and suspect handcuffed and detained by police managed to steal a patrol car and ran over the officer before crashing nearby. The officer was not seriously injured.
In Atlanta, Georgia, several police motorcycles were in flames from an arsonist while the vehicles were parked at a training facility. It is unknown if this relates to recent protests over the planned training center that has been a point of controversy.
A simple call of a trespassing complaint at a grocery store turned lethal as a Taos, New Mexico officer was shot while responding to the call. The shooter was killed a short time later by Taos police during his attempt to carjack a pickup truck, firing at the driver. The wounded officer was treated and released.
A North Carolina trooper collapsed from heat exhaustion in Knightdale as the heat index soared to 108 in the region. A good Samaritan saw the officer in distress and used the trooper’s radio to call for assistance. The trooper was treated and reported to be in good condition.
Easton, Massachusetts officers quickly jumped into a swamp and waded out to rescue a woman who yelled for help. She had been stuck in the muddy milieu for three days when hikers who could not see the victim but called 911 after hearing her screams. She suffered serious injuries and was located fifty feet from shore in thick brush and swamp.
Laredo, Texas SWAT officers rescued three children being held hostage by a man armed with a rifle who was barricaded in a mobile home. After failed attempts at negotiation, the police team breached the home, rescued the children, and arrested the suspect without further incident even though the suspect had the rifle within his reach.
A North Carolina state trooper stopped to assist what appeared to be a stranded motorist. The driver responded by shooting the trooper, who was able to return fire and kill his assailant. The trooper was shot in the chest but was saved by his protective vest. The officer was released after hospitalization.
A Gates Mills police officer pulled a man to safety from a burning vehicle that had crashed into a utility pole. The vehicle had been spotted driving erratically by the officer who lost sight of it but continued searching until coming across the vehicle with flames coming from the front end and spreading.
In the “other duties as assigned” category, Minnesota deputies used a drone to search for a missing crash victim and rescued a man who had collapsed on active railroad tracks. Montgomery, Alabama officers lassoed an agitated cow charging in the area where 200 children were gathered for a summer church activity at Taylor Road Baptist Church. Chandler, Arizona police carried a woman down the stairs of a burning apartment building. The elderly woman was using a walker. A Madison, Wisconsin officer broke a car window to rescue two dogs in distress from the heat. Firefighters who had responded for a water rescue were themselves rescued by a New Jersey State Police helicopter after the rescuers went over a waterfall. A Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputy saved a struggling manatee by holding its head above water for over two hours. In Sacramento County, California, members of the Deputy Sheriff’s Association provided a new canine companion for an eight-year-old girl whose puppy had been intentionally run over. Glendale, Arizona officers rescued a trapped German shepherd from a canal by bribing it with a home-made muffin.
Limited time, type, and space won’t allow all of the stories that could be included here. The headlines range from wild car chases to officers swept away in water, to violent armed encounters and ambushes.
How is your summer going?
