Miles's blog

I worry about my friend Michele.  And her husband Rob.  They are cops.  Every day they face the real possibility that someone will want to kill them just because of the uniform they wear.  The lead article in today’s New York Times was about the increase in the number of cop-killings every year.  So while I am concerned for all law enforcement officers in general, Michele and Rob are like family, I worry about them in almost the same way I worry about Meg.

I trust them to make good decisions.  I know they take no unnecessary risks, that they know how to take care of themselves, and that they are smart people.  Knowing all of this provides some assurance that they will not get themselves killed stupidly, but gives no comfort that some wacko with a gun and a bad attitude won’t choose one of them to fire on.  Cops get killed by habitual criminals trying to stay out of prison and depressed church-goers who want to commit suicide by cop.  They are attacked while making arrests, controlling crowds, and investigating domestic violence.  Sometimes they never see it coming, and at other times they get shot with their own gun.  We all tend to forget, or choose to minimize, the risks officers take.

When you don’t know any police officers the risk falls into the “well, they knew that when they signed up for the job.”  Just like firefighters or soldiers.  And, of course, that is true. But when the person behind the badge is a friend the dangers become personal.  Every time I say good-bye to Michele I repeat the old Hill Street Blues line: “Be careful out there.”  Not only is it an entreaty to exercise caution, which I know she will, but it is an invocation of a lucky charm: If I say it, luck will look out for her.  

The Times article superficially speculated on the causes of increased assaults on cops.  They suggest perhaps officers put themselves in more dangerous situations by new enforcement techniques.  Some say stop and frisk policies are the problem.  These suggestions are almost certainly by those who do not support law enforcement.   While these actions contain some risk, it is no more so that what the police had been doing before, and even then it does not explain why someone who is being frisked wants to shoot the cop.  The answer lies not in less enforcement.

Some blame the fiscal problems of states and cities for cutting budgets, leading to less time behind bars for convicted criminals, and reduced availability of backups for dangerous situations.  Common sense tells me this could be true.  I know the connection between length of sentences and crime reduction is in dispute in some circles, but my experience is that when we lock up the worst for a while, crime goes down.  A small amount of criminals present the greatest risk of assaulting a cop, I think.  Still, though, this does not explain why cop killers have the motivation and the absence of fear to shoot an armed, trained and, hopefully, armored police officer.

Because so many are repeat offenders with violent histories and prison incarcerations on their record it appears the system has failed.  Prison did not alter their behavior, prosecution did not scare them into abiding by the law, and parole did not control their return to crime.  Most likely their experience as a criminal has shown them they are likely to not get caught, if they do get caught it will take a long time to try them during which they stand a good chance of being released, the likelihood of conviction is pretty small unless there is DNA evidence or video surveillance, almost certainly they will be offered some plea bargain for a significantly reduced sentence, that at sentencing most judges will not impose the maximum available, and that they will be released far sooner than the term of their sentence.  Any or all of these things may not actually be true in each case, but all of them are true for all cases.  In other words, those who have been through the system are rarely deterred by a return to it.  At least for the most serious criminals.

Part of the problem, and one which the mayor of New York is pretty upset about, is the failure to enact and enforce reasonable gun laws.  Right now America for all intents and purposes has no deterrence to anyone seeking to secure a gun.  Guns are around everywhere, and readily available on short notice for anyone who wants to shoot.  With alcohol fueling America’s social life, drunks and guns are an inevitable and dangerous combination cops face every day.

Anti-government attitude pervades American culture and media right now.  From right-wing militia groups to left-wing anarchists, through Occupy Wall Street and social media, the government, particularly law enforcement, is seen as a threat to everyone’s privacy and civil rights.  Rarely will anyone stand up for the tremendous way we have been kept safe since 9/11 from a similar act of terrorism.  Marches protest stop-and-frisk policies, but there are no parades for how most people feel safe to walk the streets of virtually every American city.  Instead of hailing the deliberative nature of decision-making in a homicide, basketball teams take it upon themselves to publicly condemn law enforcement as racists, a position shouted from the virtual rooftops by those with an agenda which has self-promotion at the top of the list.  This kind of police-bashing I think leads lots of people to disrespect the police or worse.  Many will choose to take their hatred of the government out on its most visible representatives.  

Much anti-police sentiment has grown from the perception of gun-happy cops shooting to kill without sufficient grounds.  And while this has happened, most police-involved shootings have been determined to be justified.  Still, officers are now very careful about using their own weapons.  Tasers often take the place of pistols in many confrontations.  Certainly this saves the police from shooting, however I wonder if perhaps sometimes they are reluctant to protect themselves.  I have never heard a cop say this—it is merely my speculation.  But I wonder, have we traded fewer shootings by police for more shootings of them?  If so, is that the right balance?

Michele and Rob are smart, good cops.  I just hope they continue to be lucky ones, too.