Four (Black) Cops Killed in Seven Days -- Where's the Outrage?

Wednesday, March 4: Fulton County police detective Terence Avery Green was killed, shot in the head by a suspect. According to WXIA-TV, Atlanta: "Police responded to a shots fired call early Wednesday. They were told the suspect was possibly intoxicated. Neighbors said the man was going from house to house, banging on doors and firing a long barrel gun. ...

"(Fulton County Assistant Police Chief Gary) described the situation as an ambush, saying the officers 'were trying to do their job, they were trying to protect this neighborhood from someone who was shooting. And they had no other option but to do their job. And the way it appears to me, they were ambushed without warning.' ...

"Green was a veteran officer with nearly 22 years of service. He is survived by his parents and his four sons."

Thursday, March 5: Officer Robert Wilson III, while on duty and in uniform, walked into a game store to purchase a gift for his son. Two men robbed the store, and shot and killed Officer Wilson. According to CNN: "Wilson was standing at the counter across from employees at the GameStop store when two brothers, Carlton Hipps and Ramone Williams, walked in carrying guns, police said.

"They allegedly stuck up the store with at least five patrons and two employees inside.

"'They said they thought it was going to be an easy target,' said police spokesman Capt. James Clark. ... Wilson confronted (the suspects), and a firefight broke out, police said.

"The officer, an eight-year veteran, stepped away from others in the store to keep them out of the crossfire, police said after watching the store's security camera footage.

"He was a hero and a warrior, Clark said. "He fought until the very, very end, firing at both of them."... Within 30 to 40 seconds, 50 shots fell, he said. ...

"Wilson was 30 years old. In addition to his son, he leaves behind a 1-year-old daughter. His son turns 10 on Monday. The game was also going to be a birthday present."

Saturday, March 7: Police Officer Brennan Rabain was killed while trying to make a traffic stop on a speeding driver. The officer lost control of his squad car and crashed into a fence. According to the local NBC affiliate news: "Police are searching for anyone who may have witnessed a crash that killed a Prince George's County police officer. ... Rabain had been off duty, but when he initiated the traffic stop, he went back on duty, police said." Rabain, 27, had been with the department less than two years, and leaves behind a 3-year-old daughter.

Tuesday, March 10: Deputy U.S. Marshal Josie Wells, 27, was killed in a shootout near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as he attempted to apprehend a fugitive accused of killing a brother and sister.

According the Associated Press: "The fugitive, Jamie D. Croom, 31, was shot and taken to a hospital. ... Croom was wanted in the shooting deaths of a brother and sister in New Roads, Louisiana. ...

"The shootout took place in Scotlandville, an area north of Baton Rouge. A task force made by federal Marshals was serving an arrest warrant when the shootout happened. ... Croom, a resident of New Roads, had a lengthy criminal record, (local Sheriff Beauregard) Torres said. 'He was a dangerous criminal,' Torres said. 'It was a very high price to pay for this warrant to bring this man into custody. It was a very, very high price.'

"Wells was a graduate of East Central High School in Hurley, Mississippi, and of Jackson State University. 'He was a tremendous student,' East Central Principal James Hughey told WLOX-TV. 'He was very well liked.' ... Wells' father, Obie Wells Sr., is a retired Jackson County sheriff's deputy. His brother, Obie Wells Jr., is an officer with the Jackson Police Department in the state capital.

"'His dad was so proud of him for being a U.S. marshal,' (Mississippi state Rep. Manly) Barton said." The day after his death, Wells' wife -- who is pregnant with the couple's first child -- learned the sex of their baby. She is having a boy, and she plans to name him Josie Wells, Jr.

Last year, according to the nonprofit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 126 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers died in the line of duty in 2014 -- although some deaths were attributed to health problems or traffic accidents. Fifty officers were killed by firearms, 15 of them in ambush attacks.

The memorial fund says that shootings against officers increased 50 percent in 2014. This total includes two NYPD officers killed in December in an ambush. The suspect, killed by police, had posted Internet messages that accused police of racism, threatened to kill officers and urged others to do the same.

Despite the widely publicized recent cases where cops killed blacks, new studies show cops -- black and white -- more reluctant to shoot a black suspect compared to a white suspect. Reasons are unclear, but fear of additional scrutiny -- whether fair or not -- might be a factor.

Don’t go. There will always be bad apples in any profession. We all know or should all know there is good and bad in LE. For every bad deed there is always a good deed and someone being saved by an officer. Yes some have attitudes and yes some are there because they believe in helping people.

Yes there is a minority who just hate them for one reason or another. I know most of them on here now and I just ignore them.

Many go out there with their uniform and never know if they will ever come back to see their families. I know I myself have been helped by them over a contractor who never had a permit and threatened o blow peoples heads off if anyone told the cops. He had just got out of prison for armed robbery. If it were not for LE then the likes of that scumbag would be back on the street, As it is they looked into it, saw him try and run a neighbor over or scare them and then find a gun in his vehicle.

Just don;t leave here as we need good conservatives and just ignore the idiots

I agree there is truth to what you say. Thank you.

Cops depend on each other in life and death situations. Doesn’t happen every day, and for many cops such a situation never really arises. But there’s always the chance today might be the day. Yes, sadly there is.

By definition, such a relationship creates strong bonds and a desire to protect. And that’s all to the good.

Yes it is, but there is reason to expect good men to come forward and be frank about what they see. Now is that wise in a society as litigeous as ours? Probably not. I may not like this, but it's probably true and universal department(s) policy.

But the problem is that there is also a downside. Particularly when carried too far.

Yes, I believe it can be. I don't believe it is the individual officer's duty to comment on what another officer has done, but it also should be said they shouldn't cover for, or lie for their fellow officer either. Where that happens, offending officers should face the charge of being an accomplice after the fact.

The militarization and extreme force used by cops that has become more reported in recent years leads me to wonder about something.

It has led me to a conclusion, beyond mere wondering. The no knock raids have become so over the top, that it's a recognizable abuse of the public's good will toward law enforcment for them to be carried out as they are, and more importantly, as prolifically as they are. I would also recommend that a county-wide agency be established where possible, so that there be only a limited number of swat teams out there, and under one jurrisdiction, and severely limited as to under what circumstances they should be used for.

Likely most conservatives I generally discounted black people with their complaints of police brutality.

And so have I, but I will say that I have been open to the idea of there being abuses. I will also acknowledge that the first act of a crook caught dead to rights, is to try and find falt with the officer as his only defense. Just like the Clintons, these crooks instinctively know that all you have to do is offer up (even a lie) a plausible excuse or story, and you're peeps will always support you. Hell, most of them will knowing the full truth. Hey, Blacks have a break coming because of history. Gack!

Now, this being said, I also want to acknowledge that these officers know their districts. They know the players. They've run into them many times before. So not only do they know what the perp is capable of, but they also get to the point they probably want to deliver a message to the perp, "Quit -------- with us, because this is only going to get worse for you." Now that may be wrong, but I think it's a factor. It's human nature. It may also be effective with some players, when nothing else is.

But could it be that cops are now bringing out into the wider community methods and attitudes they’ve always had when dealing with the black community? Could all those minorities complaining about police brutality have been at least partialy right?

Well, in some instances yes. In others these folks know exactly what the problem is. They know little Razbo has been a prick even at home, at school, to kids in the neighborhood, to small animals... None of that is mentioned when they morn little Razbo in front of the evening news feed cameras. Some of this may play in the wider community too. Then again, we know that officers are human too, and sometimes they do screw up.

Another thought.

By far the single greatest asset the police can possibly have on their side is a general perception by the public that their exercise of authority is legitimate. That they are honest and “on my side.”

While we all know there are good and bad cops, as in every other group, my default position has always been that cops are the good guys. I’ve slipped a lot more towards a neutral position in that regard due to things that have happened over the last few years.

Shortcuts involving violence and dishonesty are of course appealing, but by their very nature they whittle away at the true foundation of the cops’ authority and ability to do their job well.

Witness the black community, where the default assumption is cops are the bad guys. Is this all the cops’ fault? Doubtful. Have they contributed? Most likely.

I lean toward those positions as well.

I remember when I was about five years old, I was traveling in the family car and my grandfather was pulled over.

Right there on the spot, my grandfather explained that you treat officers with respect. You follow their directions and do as requested.

I wonder sometimes what percent of the nation’s kids get this kind of instruction.

Society has become much more base. I’m sure every officer deals with jerks day in and day out. This has got to have an effect over time.

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