What makes the lives of police officers more valuable than any other citizen?
The focus should be on reducing murder overall, not just for “special” people.
“458 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement
officers died in the line-of-duty in 2021. This is an
increase of 55% from the 295 officers killed during
the same period last year, and is the highest total
line-of-duty officer deaths since 1930 when there
were 312 fatalities.”
This is a 450% increase since 2013.
https://nleomf.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2021-EOY-Fatality-Report-Final-web.pdf
What do you suggest to reduce "murder overall"? Do you agree with BLM that we should cut the number of police officers by “defunding the police”. If you want to do the opposite and increase the number of police, how are you hoping to attract qualified individuals while the profession is villainized and the murder rate for police officers is soaring?
Personally, after working with the police in a large blue city on a professional level daily for 25 years... I would not suggest to a young person that they should consider becoming a police officer. It is a dangerous and frustrating profession that leaves most feeling badly about themselves and society a few years down the road.
The root of the problem are these cities that keep passing law after law after law and ordering the police to enforce them.
This is why minorities and the poor feel "harassed" by the police. This is why they feel the police are "racist" by enforcing all sorts of laws directed at minorities and the poor more than anyone.
Add to this District Attorneys who want to make a name for themselves and who will falsify evidence, hide exculpatory evidence and use unlimited budgets to bolster their conviction rates.
You have the makings for social strife and targets on the backs of police officers. None of this comes as a surprise.
They don't care about qualified individuals. If they did they wouldn't be hiring women to put into patrol vehicles or lowering the testing/academy standards. They're more concerned if someone has 10 units from a local Jr. college than if they're street savvy or big enough to take care of themselves and others if need be. When a violent criminal sees a 5'9" overweight female with a badge, they have zero respect for that.
Imagine your working the senseless murder district and your new partner is a woman with some college credits who clearly can't handle the job or back you up if need be in a violent brawl with real mean people.