A total of 323 officers have been shot in the line of duty across the US in 2022, 60 of whom were killed, the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) revealed in a report published on Wednesday. FOP National President Patrick Yoes said in a statement on the group’s website that officials who fail to prosecute criminals and release repeated offenders share the blame for the deaths.
According to Yoes, officer fatalities are up 23% from 2019. “This past year has been one of the most dangerous years for law enforcement in recent history,” he said, adding that criminals have been “emboldened by the failed policies of pandering prosecutors and cynical politicians.”
“Frankly, it is unlike anything I’ve seen in my 36 years of law enforcement,” Yoes stated. He said there had been 87 “ambush-style attacks” on police in 2022, which resulted in 31 fatalities.
Law-abiding citizens saw the real-life consequences of what happens when elected officials embrace pro-criminal, revolving-door policies and make decisions that put the interests of violent offenders ahead of public safety.
Yoes accused “rogue prosecutors” and other officials of failing “to prosecute violent offenders for their crimes or, even worse, releasing repeat offenders.”
Founded in 1915, the FOP has more than 364,000 members across the US, according to its website.
The group slammed Democrats, such as New York Governor Kathy Hochul, for having in the past advocated for the elimination of cash bail for certain categories of crimes.
“Anywhere they have done bail reform, it has been an abject failure. In Harris County, Houston, 200 people have been murdered by suspects that were already out on multiple felony bonds. The failure to appear rate is at 82%,” FOP Vice President Joe Gamaldi told Fox News last month.
The US has seen an upswing of anti-police sentiment since the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests and riots hit the country in 2020. The unrest was sparked by several high-profile cases of black Americans dying during altercations with officers.
Some Democrats have been proposing to “defund the police,” a demand that galvanized BLM activists.
The FOP has argued that “anti-police rhetoric” from politicians and the media also places officers’ lives in danger.