The ...shall we say 'hysterical'? ....noise about "blue lives" is more than a little over-wrought.
...There have been 24 police officers killed by attacks in the line of duty
this year. This means that we are on pace for a total of 35 such deaths
this year – which would represent the second lowest total ever, only slightly more than the all time low of 32 in 2013. ...
It may be true that 'the community' is more antagonistic to police than before, but that's impossible to prove with anything resembling statistical accuracy.
By the way, being a cop isn't very dangerous at all.
...Being a police officer is now not in the top ten most dangerous
occupations in the United States, and it is not even close. Police now
have about 14 fatalities per 100,000 workers, whereas the tenth most
dangerous occupation in the United States (mining) has about 22 fatalities per 100,000 workers. (Note: Trash collectors are over twice as likely to die on the job and commercial fishermen are almost 10 times as likely to die on the job.)...
So, Sheriff Clarke (you who were a fervent gun-control advocate until only 10 years ago): pipe down.
"Killed in the line of duty" is not the same as murder in cold blood, premeditated for a moment when the cop is virtually not able to defend himself (you know, like in the back). A body count of 35 is too high. Statistical "accuracy" is not revelation or truth. 1 is too high. 1 is a tragedy. Blue lives matter. Next time you call 911 or your car breaks down, think of the 35 men unable to respond to your demand.
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