Oxymoron. A screwdriver can be a weapon.
Are there more cop attacks now than in the past or just more documented due to cell phone and dashboard cameras?
So can an umbrella, a comb, a pencil, a handkerchief, or an open hand.
Probably some of both. In Albuquerque there is a lot of drug and gang related crime and those thugs don't hesitate to confront the police with a gun. Because of this the police are on edge to start with and they are more likely to react likewise in response to any confrontation. However, because of the high number of police shootings, the DOJ has them now under scrutiny and the next step will be the feds stepping in.
From another fatal shooting, this one likely justified:
The shooting is the department’s fourth fatal shooting since mid-March and the 25th fatal shooting since 2010. It comes after the Department of Justice issued a report that found that APD had a “pattern or practice” of violating the constitutional rights of those living here.
The city, APD and the DOJ are now beginning negotiations to craft what will be a court-enforceable agreement to produce reforms to the way the department uses deadly force and hires and retains officers.
http://www.abqjournal.com/395517/news/lapel-videos-show-handguns-beneath-body-after-fatal-shot.html
“Are there more cop attacks now than in the past or just more documented due to cell phone and dashboard cameras?”
Ironically, I think there are probably fewer than in the past. There are now more cameras and the attitude towards police has shifted markedly. 20 years ago, the cops would have been given the benefit of the doubt by the public and the press. What was an unfortunate death 20 years ago is now a news story, and witnesses are no longer inclined to disregard their lying eyes.
"You better back off or I'm going to make your glasses really wobbly!"