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In reply to the discussion: Oh Fuck. This is what it's like being a black man in America. [View all]MichMan
(12,618 posts)I'm not a LEO, however I have a friend who is. Their loved ones think about it every day when they go to work.
"Matthew Chism became the 97th law enforcement officer in the country to die in the line of duty this year when he was shot following a traffic stop last week.
He also is just the latest in a long line of officers from the Four-State Area who died during traffic stops.
Early on the morning of Sunday, Nov. 2, Chism, a Cedar County deputy, attempted to pull over a vehicle in El Dorado Springs. The driver allegedly refused to stop and at one point a passenger, William Collins, 28, jumped out at an intersection and ran. Chism, 25, gave chase on foot, leading to an altercation in which both men were fatally shot.
It is not an isolated case; traffic stops have become the leading cause of death for police officers, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in Washington.
From 2000 through 2009, 118 officers were killed conducting traffic stops, compared with 82 handling domestic-violence complaints and 74 during disturbance calls.
It gives you cold chills, said Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland. (Chism) got up and kissed his wife goodbye that day, looked at his baby, went to work like any other day. And look.
The problem is, it will be a big news deal today. Then tomorrow, that wife and that baby are by themselves. The public wont care anymore, theyll move on.
Copeland said he puts a notice on his department bulletin board every time an officer anywhere is killed in the line of duty and it stays there as a reminder for a while.
Its way too often, he said. Every 53 hours.
http://www.joplinglobe.com/news/local_news/traffic-stops-top-cause-of-death-for-law-enforcement-officers/article_9c851397-be13-54b5-8be1-82cf01d11f79.html