A policewoman was caught up in ammonia-based gang violence in Northampton, England while trying to rescue innocent victims.
Bodycam footage reveals the unnamed officer rushing to aid a young woman who was affected by the reckless chemical attack. As a consequence of her bravery, she too got ammonia in her eyes and mouth but continued on to protect and serve innocent bystanders.
The three gang members responsible for this atrocity faced justice soon after, as the group plead guilty to ‘administering a poison or noxious substance with intent to injure’.
Over the last century, there have been nearly 60,000 attacks on police officers each year according to government data. This is a staggering number, and it reflects the omnipresent state of conflict between officers of the law and those suspected of breaking it.
On the other side of the pond, a 17-year-old male is being charged with assaulting an officer after allegedly doing the same to a girl. According to Idaho Statesman, the teen suspect will be tried as an adult.
Police killings ping-pong through the media circuit on an almost daily basis in the United States as tragic events continue to happen. Of course, police violence affects police officers and their families most of all.
Despite the national average retirement age of 63, police officers are taking an early retirement in their 50’s due to the danger they face every day. However, outdated pension laws may also be a major factor.
Forbes explains how officers in Carlsbad, California are scoring pensions in their early 50’s that could total a yearly payout above their current yearly salary depending on their time with the force.
Another perspective is given by a retired officer who details the major reasons he personally chose to retire. More or less, the immense weight that an officer of the law carries every day, coupled with the pain and tragedy they must witness, tends to become difficult to cope with over time.
This burden compounds when considering the fact that some officers never live to see retirement. Many officers every year are either lost in the line of duty or succumb to a life of brutal daily stress.
Of course, it’s important to remember that overall crime rates are falling in the United States. The Brennan Center recently concluded:
All measures of crime in the 30 largest American cities — the overall crime rate, violent crime rate, and murder rate — are estimated to decline in 2017 according to a year-end analysis by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
Those falling crime rates also include police killings, which have broadly fallen in recent decades.
Even so, the danger police officers face in this nation is very real and tragic. While 86% of people believe life insurance is important, most people don’t face the daily dangers that police officers do.