Police Shootings, Homicides on the Rise According to Fraternal Order of Police Data

On Tuesday, December 1, the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation’s largest police union, announced the total number of offer shootings and deaths so far in 2020. The union said in a tweet that 283 have been shot and 44 have been killed. According to their data, the number of officers shot represents a seven percent increase over 2019 and a 28% increase over 2018.

The FOP wrote, “Violence against our officers MUST be condemned by all…Enough Is Enough.”

The FOP also commented in response to the Chicago Police Superintendent David Brown’s tweet, which showed data for the rising number of officers shot or shot at in the line of duty so far in 2020. According to the data shown, that number has nearly quadrupled from 18 at this time in 2019, to 71 this year.

In their tweet, the FOP said, “Violence targeted against our officers MUST be condemned by all! The disturbing trend of attacks on law enforcement should alarm all Americans.”

Superintendent Brown commented, “At no point in recent memory have our #ChicagoPolice officers ever faced such a level of inherent danger while performing their duties. Yet they continue to bravely serve with honor each day and night.” Chicago Police Department’s Comp Stat report has showed skyrocketing crime rates across the board, whether or not they involve police.

This is just one city of many experiencing this high level of crime increase and violence against the police since the May 25 death of George Floyd. Another such example is Philadelphia, which has seen over 2,055 people shot and 452 people murdered, which is the most homicides in the last 25 years.  The City of Baltimore has had over 300 murders per year for the last two years running, while the number of officers on the roster has decreased by over 500.

LENN reported this week that Minneapolis, who took the lead in many in the nation’s calls to defund the police, has seen a 537% increase in carjackings in the last two months, to the point where they had to actually create the coding for the crime and retroactively count the number of incidents, as it had been almost nonexistent before and previously fell under the general crime of robbery. Violent crime in general has also increased an average of 50% in Minneapolis.

Los Angeles has also recorded over 300 homicides so far this year, the highest amount in over ten years. Cincinnati has seen an overall increase of violent crime by 18%, with shootings having risen 52%. Atlanta, Daytona Beach, Broward County, Seattle, Dallas, and so many more are seeing increases in violent crimes, some at record breaking levels.

New York has seen shootings almost double, as they’re now sitting at 1,359 compared to 698 last year. Additionally, shooting victims have more than doubled, now at 1,667 up from 828 during all of 2019. The City has seen 405 homicides this year, up from 295 all of last year.

To this, the FOP tweeted, “Politicians who push a backward agenda under the guise of ‘reform’ & blame the police instead of criminals need to check themselves! Many communities are seeing trends like Skyrocketing homicide rates, Increase of violence on our most vulnerable.”

One former District of Columbia homicide detective, Ted Williams, spoke to Fox News regarding the current climate of police work, which he said during the interview is in “a great state of confusion.” Williams discussed the rise of the anti-police climate, as well as the struggling morale of police nationwide.

Williams said, “When you hear about defunding, disbanding police departments, this certainly is what has created havoc in law enforcement. Police officers do not feel that their supervisors, commanders, and city officials have their back, so morale is at an all-time low in police departments all over this country.”