FBI Statistics - Gangs (ex-text won't work for me,
so quoted ex text is bolded) 2011 Statistics:
"
There are approximately 1.4 million active street, prison, and OMG gang members comprising more than 33,000 gangs in the United States."
"
Gang members are acquiring high-powered, military-style weapons and equipment which poses a significant threat because of the potential to engage
in lethal encounters with law enforcement officers and civilians. ... Gang members also target military and law enforcement officials, facilities, and
vehicles to obtain weapons, ammunition, body armor, police gear, badges, uniforms, and official identification."
In 2011, the DEA made 32,176 arrests. That's ONLY the crimes/arrests the DEA was
involved in. Multiply that across all of the U.S. at local/state law enforcement level.
Calculate every other kind of crime/accident you can think of and add those numbers to the mix.
In 2008, local police departments had about 593,000 full-time employees, including 461,000 sworn
officers.
461,000 officers vs 1.4 MILLION gang members PLUS countless criminals.
6,613 - Number of sworn LEOs involved in alleged
misconduct - that's
1.43% of sworn LEOs.
The number of LEOs who have
died in the line of duty increased 14% nationwide from 2010 to 2011
Unethical LEOs out there? Sadly, yes, but the vast majority of our LEOs are upright men and women who walk out of their homes every day not knowing
whether or not they will walk back in and they do it to protect the citizens of their towns, cities, counties and states. They protect YOU.
NOTICE the arsenal and related items being collected by gang members. They're infiltrating the police departments AND the military. The media does
not tell us just how serious and widespread these issues are, but I assure you our law enforcement agencies and officers know.
My husband was a LEO for 10 years; my bro-in-law is a LEO going on 20 years. I promise you that our LEOs don't leave their jobs like the rest of us
do. Their workdays live in their heads forever. The mental images of their jobs are always there; dismembered victims found "a piece here, a piece
there," slaughtered families, traumatized/nearly beaten to death/raped women and children, people so mangled in vehicles that they have difficulty
removing the people parts from the auto parts, literally scraping remains of people (often fellow LEOs) off the pavement, the heartbreak of telling
someone their spouse/child/parent is dead or standing beside them as a family members tries to ID rotted remains. A routine traffic stop is no longer
"routine" - they don't know who or what is in that vehicle. It never ends.
Hundreds of thousands of crimes, murders, shootings, stabbings, accidents, rapes, kidnapping, assault, per year and we have what? 461,000 sworn
officers to handle it, of which 1.43% are accused of misconduct.
As Chief Brown stated, one hand MUST remain on their weapon. They protect themselves AND you with one hand all but literally tied behind their back.
How many times will you let someone hit you before you react?
In an incident a few years ago a woman called 911, screaming that her son (16 y/o) was threatening the whole family with a butcher knife. LEOs
arrive; kid is off his rocker; mother and siblings terrified and screaming. LEOs can't calm the kid down and he finally goes at one of them with the
knife. How do you fend off a crazed person with a knife when you can use only one hand? LEO shot him. Mother sued P.D. Many 16 y/o males are the
size of grown men; certain drugs give them the strength of 10 grown men. What do you want the LEO to do? Volunteer as a human sacrifice?
EVERY lawsuit such as that removes LEOs options of how to do their job. Budgets are down and less LEOs are doing double duty with reduced abilities
against multiplying criminals.
It's proven that if you show 20 people a film of an acted crime event and then ask all 20 to tell what they saw, you will get 20 DIFFERENT versions.
Add the trauma of an actual event and the details will be skewed even more. Family/friends don't
want to believe their family/friend COULD do
something horrible so, if they
see it, their minds will often change "facts" to make it more palatable.
No one knows yet exactly what went on in either Anaheim or Dallas. Those who speculate and accuse the LEOs without evidence aren't denying
ignorance; they're FOMENTING it.
Don't trust cops? That's your right. But if you don't trust 'em, don't call 'em.