DETROIT (WXYZ) — According to FBI data, last year, the intentional killing of law enforcement officers reached a 20-year high, the most since the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
In 2021, 73 police officers were intentionally killed in the line of duty. In 2020, that number was 46.
So far this year alone, there have been 34 officers intentionally killed, with the latest being Detroit Police Department Officer Loren Courts, who was killed in what police are calling an ambush.
Courts was a five-year veteran of the force and leaves behind a wife and kids.
“This is beyond Detroit's issue," Detroit Police Department Chief James White said of the attacks on law enforcement. "This is the country's issue in the relationship with law enforcement.”
As White and the city of Detroit begin to mourn the loss of Courts, there’s concern among those in law enforcement about the growing number of police officers being shot in the line of duty, especially from intentional and ambush-style attacks like the one involving Courts Wednesday night near Joy Road and Marlowe Street.
“They were ambushed," White said during a Thursday press conference. "When they were ambushed upon making that run, they had no chance. The officers responded in minutes, but they had no chance. They had backup, they used their training and their tactics, and the murderer shot the window out of his apartment and shot the officer when he was in the car.”
Courts died from that gunshot wound, becoming the 34th officer this year to be intentionally killed in the line of duty in the U.S., according to FBI data.
Related: 'I miss him terribly.' Parents of slain DPD Officer Loren Courts remember him as a great family man
“Year after year, we’re seeing ambush attacks on officers increase, and I think that’s linked to the fact that there’s a lot of hate and rhetoric surrounding the profession of law enforcement,” said James Smallwood, national treasurer for the Fraternal Order of Police.
According to the FOP, there have been 35 ambush-style attacks on officers this year, resulting in 57 officers being shot and 12 officers being killed. Meanwhile, 178 officers in total have been shot in the line of duty, which is a 19% increase compared to this time last year.
“Certainly, that's a concern and it's a direct correlation to the lack of respect for law enforcement officers and the degrading public safety in our communities across the country," Smallwood said. “What is alarming is that if a criminal is willing to attack a police officer and ambush them and take their lives, they’re willing to do it to everyone else in their community.”
In 2018, the FBI put together a study on ambushes and unprovoked attacks of law enforcement. Jeffrey Daniels, Ph.D, a professor of counseling at West Virginia University, was one of the leading researchers.
“Had the FBI been noticing an increasing trend in these ambush-style attacks happening?" 7 Action News reporter Brett Kast asked Daniels.
"Yeah, in fact when we did the study, ambushes were the no. 2 cause of felonious officer killings,” Daniels replied. “There's a need. There's a need to understand these events, there's a need to understand the people who engage in these events."
The study was put together to help design training for these attacks. Motives vary widely, but these attacks often result in tragedy.
“This research is really heart-wrenching because we’re talking about real people who were out doing their job," Daniels said. "They expected to go home after their shift, often to families, and when that doesn't happen, it really tears up the heart of a community.”
Daniels says in this case, it appeared to him that Courts and his partner did everything correctly. However, he acknowledged an attack like this is nearly impossible for an officer to prevent.
“It sounds like much of what the officers did is what they should have done. Not arriving alone, having two officers in a car — she (his partner) got out and immediately started administering first aid. That's exactly what they should do," Daniels said. “For a true ambush, because the element of surprise is there, they really can't be completely prevented."
If you would like to donate to Courts' family to help with raising his kids, visit their GoFundMe page.
