Police officers receive increasing criticism these days. And to be sure, some of that criticism is both fair and necessary.
Still, when officers show extraordinary courage in protecting the public, they deserve some recognition. And that’s the case with two separate incidents in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.
First, a dispute between two men in the capital’s business district escalated when one of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other in the head, killing him. Hearing the gunshots, D.C. police officers responded rapidly to the scene. They located a suspect and chased him. The Washington Post reports how “witnesses on social media recounted a chaotic scene, describing officers with guns drawn chasing the suspect past churches, a theater, a law firm and restaurants.” Following an exchange of fire, the suspect was detained — alive, and with only a minor injury.
Then, later Thursday evening, police received 911 calls of shots fired in the residential Petworth neighborhood. According to the chief of police, responding officers located a suspicious individual who fled when challenged. Pursuing him, officers were forced into a gunfight. The suspect was injured and taken to hospital, as was an officer with minor injuries.
In both these separate shootings, police officers did three things extraordinarily well. They responded quickly to serious threats to public safety, they efficiently located relevant suspects, and they took great personal risks to apprehend them. Apart from the original victim, no members of the public were harmed.
We should bear close attention to these facts. Today, too many are willing to label the police as enemies of the people. And it carries a real cost. I can speak to this personally. Before Christmas, I saw two seemingly affluent individuals aggressively filming police officers as they detained and professionally searched a suspect near my residence. The camera idiots reeked of liberal elitism. A month or so later, a man was murdered right next to where the first police search had occurred. Those with the cameras hadn’t bothered to turn up that time.
What we saw on Thursday was some extraordinary police work. We should thank and salute those who did it.
