The past few weeks have been tragic for America, as unspeakable acts of violence have been committed against police. However, the tension with law enforcement has been brewing for some time, and we have seen a lot of anti-police sentiments aired over social media for the past few years.
As these hostile feelings intensified, many police activities and shootings have been highly scrutinized and by the media and the general population, whether warranted or not. Just as the nation was reeling back from the events in Dallas, we had the horrifying Baton Rouge shooting to intensify the nightmare.
A heartbreaking picture of Baton Rouge officer Montrell Jackson with his four-month-old baby is just one example of the many lives that have been torn apart by these senseless acts. As Jackson’s sister pointed out, we may now be entering an untenable situation where "no lives matter."
Authorities investigating the matter said that the gunman had planned his attack and was intentionally targeting the law enforcement officers in the city, where Alton Sterling had been shot by police July 5. They also said that the attacker, Gavin Long, would have continued on his rampage had he not been taken down.
Their brutal assassination is just a reminder of how much damage can be done when one continues to stoke the fires of police antipathy across the nation. Records show Long continuously endorsed violence against law enforcement agencies.
In fact, Long’s social media posts show that he found the gunning down of Dallas police officers to be apparent justice. The disturbing thought process is not just Long’s alone, and this trend needs to be dealt with if we have to combat rising terrorism against the men in blue.
The very first step to combat this rising violence is to address the problem from its roots. One needs to know why people like Long, who is also an ex-Marine, would follow extremist movements like the Washitaw Nation, and explore one extreme conspiracy theory after the other.
When it’s one person in isolation committing atrocities against police, he or she is usually not taken as seriously. But when it becomes a number that is steadily increasing, it signals a much more callous disregard for human life.
According to FBI data, the average midyear total for police deaths is about 25. Yet, after the Baton Rouge massacre, the number of police officers who have been fatally shot in the line of duty this year has gone up to 30. This is 16 more than the number the same time in 2015. In just the last two months, there has been a sharp rise in these numbers.
The data from the FBI also states that 20 percent of these fatal shootings in the last 10 years have been from terrorist ambushes. This could well be the deadliest year for U.S. police officers from terrorism since the 1970s.
Much needs to be done to combat these horrifying statistics, and they need to be done now. Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that killing of police officers should be considered hate crimes is a step in the right direction.
Kevin Harden, Jr., a former Philadelphia prosecutor, has advocated prevention of over policing in certain districts where one race is a distinct majority, overhauling the disciplinary process, and reform of police oversight.
He also strongly emphasized on weeding out the bad officers who eat away into the system from within and cause the deaths of fellow officers, and to stop treating minorities like second-class citizens.
These are not mere hypotheses, but based on facts and data from several studies. Racism and bigotry that exist even within a few can lead to mass scale hatred against the whole force. Such officers shouldn’t be allowed to get away with the loopholes within the system and should be tried individually.
More importantly, the police force needs updated data and information readily available at their fingertips. Better training and recruitment procedures need to be complemented with better technology at their fingertips, all of which will help them prevent crimes – whether against them or the people they serve.
