Natural disasters, terrorist attacks, civil rights issues, and two equally unpopular presidential candidates: 2016 has truly been a whirlwind of emotions in the United States.  Many Americans might feel that these matters may not affect them, that they are far away crises that do not intrude on their firesides.  However, events have unfolded at an alarming rate much closer to home, much more personal and unavoidable.  Attacks on the peace keepers that patrol our streets and highways have resulted in 111 police officers killed in the line of duty so far in 2016.

Below is a list of the seventeen law enforcement officers who have lost their lives throughout October 2016.

1. Sergeant Steven Owen, 53, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was killed on October 5 while responding to a burglary in Lancaster, California. He was shot by the suspect, who then wounded a sheriff’s deputy before surrendering to police.  Sergeant Owen, the first officer who answered the burglary report, died about two hours after being shot.  Steven Owen was a twenty-nine-year veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, with two adult children and a wife who was also in law enforcement.
2. Investigator Paul R. Stuewer, 51, of the New York State Police, lost his life on October 5 to cancer he had received from the contamination of the air at the World Trade Center following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Paul R. Stuewer had served with the New York State Police for twenty-six years.
3. Agent Victor Rosado-Rosa, 55, of the Puerto Rico Police Department, was killed on October 5 when his motorcycle was struck by a vehicle after a police chase. Victor Rosado-Rosa was a twenty-three-year veteran of the Puerto Rico Police Department and left behind a wife and two sons.
4. Police Officer Blake Curtis Snyder, 33, of the St. Louis Country Police Department, was killed on October 6 while responding to a disturbance in Green Park, Missouri. As he exited his vehicle, Officer Snyder was shot and killed by the suspect, who was then wounded by another officer.  Blake Curtis Snyder was a four-year veteran of the St. Louis County Police Department and is survived by a wife and young son.
5. Police Officer Lesley Zerebny, 27, of the Palm Springs Police Department, was killed on October 8 while answering a domestic disturbance in Palm Springs, California. Officer Zerebny was shot and killed by a gang member who took the life of another officer and wounded a third.  The suspect was arrested after a twelve-hour standoff.  Lesley Zerebny was an eighteen-month veteran of the Palm Springs Police Department, with a husband and four-month old daughter.
6. Police Officer Jose Gilbert Vega, 63, of the Palm Spring Police Department, was killed on October 8 while answering a domestic disturbance in Palm Springs, California. Officer Vega was shot and killed by a gang member who took the life of another officer and wounded a third.  The suspect was arrested after a twelve-hour standoff.  Jose Gilbert Vega had served with the Palm Springs Police Department for thirty-five years and is survived by his wife and eight children.
7. Sergeant Luis A. Meléndez-Maldonado, 51, of the Puerto Rico Police Department, was killed on October 12 while conducting a narcotics investigation in Humacao, Puerto Rico. Sergeant Meléndez–Maldonado was killed during a shootout with suspected narcotics-traffickers.  The three suspects were apprehended by police officers.  Luis A. Meléndez–Maldonado had served with the Puerto Rico Police Department for thirty years.
8. Police Officer Aaron J. Christian, 24, of the Chesapeake Police Department, was killed on October 18 from wounds he received in a car accident on September 18, 2016. Officer Christian was driving on Route 7 in Ohio when his car left the road.  Aaron J. Christian had served with the Chesapeake Police Department for one year and is survived by his daughter.
9. Deputy Sheriff Jack Hopkins, 31, of the Modoc County Sheriff’s Office, was killed on October 19 while responding to a disturbance call. Deputy Hopkins was shot and killed at an intersection of County Road 115 and 170 in Madoc County, California.  The suspect was later apprehended by police officers.  Jack Hopkins had served with the Modoc County Sheriff’s Office for one year.
10. Sergeant Alfonso Lopez, 47, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, lost his life on October 24. Sergeant Lopez suffered a heart attack in a car accident while responding to a high speed pursuit.  Alfonso Lopez had served with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for twenty-six years and is survived by a wife and two adult children.
11. Trooper Timothy P. Pratt, 55, of the New York State Police, was killed on October 26 while assisting a lost driver. Trooper Pratt concluded giving directions to a traveler before he was struck by a vehicle.  Timothy P. Pratt was a U.S. Air Force Veteran who had served with the New York State Police for twenty-nine years, and who is survivied by a finance and three children.
12. Sergeant Allen Brandt, 34, of the Fairbanks Police Department, lost his life on October 28 due to gunshot wounds he recieved weeks before. Sergeant Brandt was responding to reports of gunfire in Fairbanks, Alaska on October 16, 2016 when he was shot multiple times at close range by the suspect, who then stole his patrol car.  The gunman was arrested two days later.  Sergeant Brant died from his wounds on October 28.  Allen Brandt had served with the Fairbanks Police Department for eleven years and is survived by a wife and four children.
13. Police Officer James Brockmeyer, 22, of the Chester Police Department, was killed on October 28 during a vehicle pursuit. Officer Brockmeyer was pursuing a vehicle in Chester, Illinois when his patrol car veered off of the road and he lost his life in the wreckage.  The suspect escaped.  James Brockmeyer had served the Chester Police Department for ten months and is survived by his parents and sister.
14. Police Officer Myron Jarret, 40, of the Detroit Police Department, was killed on October 28 after a hit-and-run. Following a traffic stop in Detroit, Michigan, Officer Jarret was entering his vehicle when a van rammed into his patrol car, killing him and wounding another officer.  The van driver was arrested.  Myron Jarret had served with the Detroit Police Department for eight years.
15. Deputy Sheriff Dan Glaze, 33, of the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, was killed on October 29 while investigating a suspicious vehicle. Deputy Glaze was alone when he found the vehicle near Wisconsin’s Highway 27.  Police found Deputy Glaze’s body a short time later.  He was inside his patrol car with a gunshot wound.  After being located, the suspect fired on police officers before he was arrested.  Dan Glaze had served with the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office for eighteen months with seven addition years in law enforcement.
16. Sergeant Rod Lucas, 46, of the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, was killed on October 31 by an accidental gun discharge. Sergeant Lucas, a member of the Special Investigations Unit, was shot and killed in Fresno County, California, when another detective’s firearm discharged.  Rod Lucas had served with the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office for twenty years, and he is survived by his wife and four children.
17. Deputy Sheriff Scott Williams, 46, of the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office, was killed on October 31 after a vehicle collision. Deputy Williams was driving along US 98 in Florida when his patrol car crashed into a logging truck, killing him.  Scott Williams had served with the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office for seventeen months and had prior law enforcement experience.

    

These seventeen officers gave their lives doing what they loved: protecting their community.  Their collective years serving span over two and a half centuries.  Imagine: Over 250 years of wearing a gun and a badge and leaving the comfort of your home to make your area a safer place.  These men and women strived to allow the neighborhood kids to play outside without fear of passing gunfire, and to prevent the flow of illegal drugs to the youth of their communities.

The murder of a police officer reveals the worst of society.  A person’s ability to resort to violence and the willingness to take a life in order to flee judgement reflects a tragic weakness in humanity.  Worse still is public approval when a police officer is killed.  Finally, some good news!  Adios, pig.  One less to worry about.  Comments like these are rampant on social media in response to announcements of an officer’s death.  In this day and age, the media often presents a one-sided view of law enforcement, one that encourages animosity towards our men and women in uniform and sees fit to crucify the many for the actions of a few.  Many American civilians feel entitled to hate cops, justifying their anger on recent events involving a handful of officers.  Not enough people realize that half-a-dozen lawmen don’t represent the 900,000 men and women in blue serving the United States.

An alarmingly significant amount of people glance at YouTube videos and are horrified when they watch three or four police officers wrestle someone to the ground during an arrest.  “That’s police brutality!” people scream, and are quick to share the video and get the word out on how badges make cops feel entitled to be monsters.

The viewer doesn’t take a moment to see the bigger picture.  The viewer doesn’t know that the suspect was asked multiple times to cooperate quietly.  The viewer doesn’t know that the suspect assaulted the cops trying to bring him to justice.

The viewer doesn’t understand that fitting handcuffs onto a struggling person, while your own body is shaking and heart is pounding, is extraordinary difficult.  That’s why it often takes multiple lawmen to hold a suspect down while he is handcuffed, so the fighting person doesn’t hurt himself or an officer.

I’m sure that many people disagree and insist that I am naïve about police brutality, and will lecture me about how it doesn’t take a half dozen cops to arrest someone.  In that case, I invite any open-minded person to single-handedly take down an angry criminal who hates the badge and will resort to violence to avoid arrest.

There are very few people in this world that would make a career out of helping others.  And fewer would do so by deliberately putting themselves in harm’s way for complete strangers.  Police Officers understand the reality of the life they chose.  They understand that they live under a microscope, that their every action could be examined and criticized, and that there are people who spend large amounts of time and money trying to catch a cop making a mistake.  But this nation’s law enforcement accepts that.  And each Police Officer, Deputy Sheriff, State Trooper, and Federal Agent kisses his family goodbye before leaving for work with the same weighty knowledge that he may not return home, that he might spend his final minutes in a traffic stop.  Thousands of moms and dads nationwide understand that someday their children might know them solely as the crisply folded American flag on display in the living room.

In this country the term “hero” if thrown around often, making it difficult to pinpoint the true meaning.  But we as Americans are lucky.  Heroes are all around us.  A hero is an entertainer who thrills an audience and uses her fame to support noble causes and help people.    A hero is a teacher who inspires his students and provides a platform from which they can prepare themselves for life.  A hero is a family man who puts the lives of others before his own, a man who puts on a bullet-proof vest as casually as another puts on a necktie.  Each hero is essential to the well-being of our society, but a police officer provides the shield for all of us to live our lives to the best of our ability. A police officer is who a hero looks to for help, who a hero knows will always be standing watch.

Statistics from: Officer Down Memorial Page

https://www.odmp.org/