When news broke late last month that Chicago police Officer Michael Flisk had been killed on the job, many Chicagoans had the same chilling thought: Not again.
Flisk was the fifth officer killed in the line of duty this year, his slaying coming just days after an off-duty cop was gunned down in his car, bringing the total number of officers killed to six. It solidified 2010 as the deadliest year for Chicago cops since the early 1980s, leaving many residents worried about the outbreak of violence against police.
Local and national criminologists agree that the string of police tragedies is a cause for concern, but they said it's far too soon to take the deaths as any indication of a developing criminal pattern.
Wow. We feel so much safer now. And so relieved that "local and national criminologists" don't feel anyone can call this a trend. The trouble with trends is by the time you recognize them, it's a bit late for preventive measures.
How about someone look at the trend in attacks on officers across Chicago over the past three years. If we aren't mistaken, that number hasn't jumped by mere points, but by dozens of percentages accounting for hundreds of incidents. That's the trend everyone ought to be concerned with because it's leading directly to deaths.
How about someone look at the trend in attacks on officers across Chicago over the past three years. If we aren't mistaken, that number hasn't jumped by mere points, but by dozens of percentages accounting for hundreds of incidents. That's the trend everyone ought to be concerned with because it's leading directly to deaths.
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