'Attacked Because of the Uniform': Violence Against Police Officers Surges as Gun Violence Hits All-Time High
The FBI and law enforcement agencies are working to stop surging violence against police officers as other violent crimes run rampant nationwide. "Police officers are being attacked simply because of the uniform they wear," said Sgt. Tre Pennie, retired Dallas police sergeant and president of the National Fallen Officer Foundation. Last year, 73 police officers were killed on the job. That's a 59 percent jump in officer-related deaths over the previous year. Sgt. Pennie says violence aimed at police is unlike anything he's seen before. "We are living in a different age where our national security interests have to be considered," Pennie said. So why the increase? FBI Director Christopher Wray says some of it's tied to an increase in violent crimes as a whole. In 2020, murder jumped 29 percent in the U.S. with nearly 5,000 more people killed than in 2019. Possible reasons include more juveniles committing violent crimes, increased gun trafficking, and an alarming number of some of the worst criminals getting back on the streets. "Last year, officers were being killed at a rate of almost one every five days," Wray noted. The FBI is working with task forces and local law enforcement nationwide to mitigate this violent surge, arresting close to 15,000 violent gang members last year. Yet, gun violence is still at an all-time high. Researchers for the New England Journal of Medicine found that gun violence increased during the COVID pandemic. There's no clear correlation. Still, some 45,000 firearm-related deaths took place in 2020. Sgt. Pennie believes social media is a big part of