The Fraternal National Order of Police (FOP) released a report Wednesday morning compiling attacks on law enforcement over the past year.
With 10 days to go in 2022, the National FOP reports that 323 officers have been shot in the line of duty this year. Of those shot, 60 have died. Those statistics do not include situations in which officers were shot, but not injured.
Responding to the report, National FOP President Patrick Yoes called last year “one of the most dangerous years for law enforcement in recent history.”
Yoes said the rise in violence against police officers and the crime crisis in general is the result of criminals being emboldened by the “failed policies of complacent prosecutors and cynical politicians.”
THE CONSEQUENCES OF ‘DEFINING THE POLICE’ CREATED A ‘KNIP EFFECT’ THAT PLACES EVERYONE IN DANGER, SAYS A LAW ENFORCEMENT SOURCE
Flowers left on top of the police cruiser belonging to fallen Arvada Police Officer Dillon Michael Vakoff outside Arvada Police Headquarters on September 11, 2022 in Arvada, Colorado.
(Helen H. Richardson/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Although 2021 was the worst year for attacks against law enforcement, with 346 officers shot and 63 killed, since the FOP began recording data in 2015, this year is not far behind. The statistics for both years are significantly worse than those for 2019 and 2020.
Yoes said the increase in violence is unlike anything he has seen as a 36-year veteran, adding that there were 87 ambush-type attacks against law enforcement this year, resulting in 31 of the 60 deaths.
“Many often look at this data and only see numbers. We MUST remember that they represent heroes: fathers, mothers, sons and daughters,” Yoes wrote. “Fortunately, due to dramatic improvements in medical trauma science and anti-ballistic technology, the lethality of these attacks would be much higher.”
DUTY DEATHS BY POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT IN 2021 UP 55% OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR
Yoes said it is his “sincere hope” that Congress will pass the Protection and Service Act, which would address the nation’s problem of ambushes and unprovoked attacks on US officers.
He also said he can’t begin to comprehend the “heinous acts” violent and brazen criminals are willing to commit against law-abiding citizens if they’re willing to target men and women in law enforcement. He added that law-abiding citizens in the United States are justifiably living in fear and wondering if they will be the next victim.
Placing part of the blame on “rogue prosecutors,” Yoes said more people will continue to break the law when there are no consequences for doing so.
“Law-abiding citizens have seen the real-life consequences of what happens when elected officials adopt pro-crime, revolving-door policies and make decisions that put the interests of violent criminals ahead of public safety,” Yoes wrote. . “These decisions, the failure to prosecute violent offenders for their crimes, or worse, the release of repeat offenders arrested for crimes that show a propensity for escalating violence, make our communities less safe.”
A law enforcement officer folds his hands during the National Peace Officers Memorial Service at the US Capitol in Washington, DC on May 15, 2022.
(Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Yoes ended his response by saying “enough is enough” and called on Americans in every community across the country to join law enforcement and oppose rampant violence.
“In truth, violence against those sworn to serve and protect is beyond unacceptable; it is a stain on our society and must end. It is incumbent on our elected officials and community leaders to stand up, support our heroes, and speak out against the violence against law enforcement officers,” he wrote.
