Is there a "war on cops?" (Excerpts from www.policemag.com)

So far in 2011, 14 law enforcement officers have been killed, a trend that extends from 2010, which was one of the deadliest years on record, according to statistics released by the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund on Monday.

As of Jan. 24, officer fatalities have been recorded in eight states, including multiple deaths in Florida (5), Texas (2), and Ohio (2). Florida and Texas were among the top five states leading officer deaths in 2010 (along with California, Illinois, and Georgia).

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund's preliminary "2010 End of Year Officer Fatality Report," officer fatalities reached 162, a nearly 40 percent increase from the 117 in 2009. Of the 162 officers killed in the line of duty, 61 were shot — a 24 percent increase from 2009. Tragically, the trend continued with 14 officer deaths in January, 10 of which resulted from shootings accounting for a 40 percent increase compared to the same period in 2010.

The following nine officers are the most recent gunfire-related fatalities:
• Clark County (Ohio) Sheriff's Deputy Suzanne Hopper was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call at a mobile home park on New Year's Day.
• Rainier (Ore.) Police Chief Ralph Painter was killed by a fatal gunshot wound to the head on Jan. 5, while responding to a call reporting a car theft at a strip mall.
• Baltimore City (Md.) Police Officer William H. Torbit, Jr. was fatally shot during an altercation outside a night club on Jan. 9.
• Lakewood (N.J.) Patrolman Christopher Matlosz was shot and killed as he approached a suspect while patrolling a residential area on Jan. 14.
• Livonia (Mich.) Officer Larry Nehasil was fatally wounded by a burglary suspect during a shootout on Jan. 17.
• Miami-Dade (Fla.) Officers Roger Castillo and Amanda Haworth were fatally shot as they attempted to serve a murder warrant at a Miami, Florida home on Jan. 20.
• St. Petersburg (Fla.) Sgt. Tom Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz were gunned down and killed while attempting to serve a warrant on Jan. 24. A U.S. Marshal was also wounded but is in stable condition.

PBA will encourage our government leaders to ensure that officer and community safety is “the” priority, not just “a” priority.

John Park
President
Central Florida PBA
407-345-9911