AP photo
While despicable cops like Peter Cruz and Jodlyn Antoine, who don’t deserve to wear the badge, focus on their next drink or their next victim, the vast majority of law enforcement officers are focusing on trying to stay alive.
August 28, 2015 was one of the deadliest days in 2015 for the law enforcement community in this country. Two state troopers and one deputy sheriff were killed in the line of duty.
Missouri Highway Patrol State Trooper James M. Bava was killed in an automobile accident during a traffic stop.
Michigan State Police Trooper Chad H. Wolf was also killed in an accident when a car struck his motorcycle while he was on patrol.
By far, however, the most horrific incident on that day was the grisly cold-blooded execution of Harris County, Texas Deputy Sheriff Darren H. Goforth. Deputy Goforth was gunned down at a Houston gas station while pumping gas. The murderer walked up to him, shot him several times and continued shooting him after he had fallen to the ground.
At a press conference held Saturday, August 29, 2015, Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman said that Goforth was a target “because he was wearing the uniform.” The Sheriff added, “There’s not many civilian occupations you can point to where you can be shot for the clothes you wear.”
Sheriff Hickman continued, “Our system of justice absolutely requires law enforcement to be present to protect our community. So at any point where the rhetoric ramps up to the point where calculated, cold-blooded assassination of police officers happen, this rhetoric has gotten out of control. We’ve had “black lives matter,” “all lives matter,” well cops’ lives matter, too. So why don’t we just drop the qualifier and just say “lives matter,” and take that to the bank.”
At that same press conference, Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson spoke as well. She said, “It is time for the silent majority of this country to support law enforcement. There are a few bad apples in every profession. That does not mean that there should be open warfare declared on law enforcement. The vast majority of officers are there to do the right thing, are there because they care about the community and want to make it a safer place. What happened last night is an assault on the very fabric of society.”
While a suspect was arrested the very next day for the murder of Deputy Goforth, on Tuesday, September 1, 2015, Fox Lake (Illinois) Police Lieutenant Charles Joseph Gliniewicz became the 83rd law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty in 2015.
Lieutenant Gliniewicz was gunned down while chasing three suspects “in a foot pursuit.” The suspects still remain at large.
Not for lack of trying, an unknown assailant attempted to murder West Penn Township (Pennsylvania) Police Sergeant Melissa Ruch when she stopped to help a disabled vehicle on September 2, 2015 by assaulting her and then throwing her off the side of a steep mountain.
Prayers for #SergeantMelissaRuch Schuylkill County, Pa. #BlueLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/zSine9g9c1
— Holly Briley (@HollysHere) September 3, 2015
No suspect has been caught, despite an ongoing manhunt by state police.
This current and unrelenting War on Cops makes it even more imperative that problem children like Peter Cruz and Jodlyn Antoine (and the corrupt Police Chiefs who protect them) have their badges and police issued firearms taken away permanently. They are a disgrace to a noble profession, the honor of which must be restored.
Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”
Very well done article.
Thank you!
I support the police but I cannot figure out how to do it in a way that will convince people to listen.
You are already leading by example. Just keep up the great work!
Great article and the comments made by the sheriff and district attorney made are so true. We can not forget what law enforcement does for us every day.
Getting rid of bad apples will only be a small step in addressing mass distrust and disrespect for cops not as a result of atypical corruption, but due to the role play enforcing often archaic, arbitrary laws. This is a prime example of shooting the messenger.
Not since the days of state sponsored segregation has the average American felt so poorly about law enforcement. The people who evict poor grannies, arrest pot smokers, and request to search people for non-criminal misdemeanors such as driving with your lights off.
Everyone wants to feel safe in their communities, but any reasonable person can see that low enforcement very often has little to do with safety and everything to do with imposing morality on others by force.
Police officers do not enact the laws, but are sworn to uphold them. Congress and local government officials need to address archaic and/or arbitrary laws and make necessary changes. Police officers are merely doing their jobs when they enforce the law. This is not to be confused by “imposing morality on others.” Contact your representatives in government and complain to them! In the meantime, obey the laws, whether you like them or not, or suffer the consequences of violating them. This is the difference between a civilized society and the anarchy you seem to be advocating.