(WXYZ) — New numbers from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund show the number of line of duty deaths increase 12 percent from 2017 to 2018.
In all, 144 officers died in the line of duty in 2018 across the nation, compared to 129 line of duty deaths since 2017.
The numbers also increase for the Detroit Police Department. In 2018, three police officers died in the line of duty: Officer Fadi Shukur, Officer Darren Weathers and Officer Glenn Doss Jr.
“As young men you know you never ever imagine burying your own child, you know,” said Officer Glenn Doss Sr., father of Glenn Doss Jr., who was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call.
Doss Senior is a Detroit Police Officer as well.
“Each and everyday when an officer put on his uniform and he goes to work he realizes there’s a possibility that he may not make it home to his family,” Doss Sr. said.
President of the Detroit Police Officers Association, Mark Diaz, sent 7 Action News the following statement:
The devastating death toll on our nation's police officers in 2018 is something we should all be ashamed of. All life is precious but when we lose a peacekeeper we lose not just a brother or sister or son or daughter or father or mother, we lose a hero who dedicated their life to saving the lives of others.
As a nation, we have given too much attention to those who choose to hate law enforcers. When we share stories of an unarmed citizen being killed by police officers we share half truths that haven't yet been adjudicated by our justice system. Unfortunately some people are just too caught up in looking for a reason to find fault in police officers and they fail to think rationally, inciting irrational individuals into committing acts of violence on our police officers. By sensationalizing reports of officers using force before all of the facts are weighed we are creating a far more dangerous environment for our officers. Some people can't handle living in a society governed by a justice system that provides every citizen an opportunity to not incriminate themselves when an instance of use of force is portrayed as "hot news". When a news report is absorbed by a mentally ill person, incapable of processing the reality that the media is often times only privy to part of the story, the target on our officers grows exponentially.
Ultimately we need to take protecting our protectors to a new level. Identifying and providing treatment for the multitudes of mentally ill people we have in the state of michigan and throughout the nation is a major step in helping to keep our citizens and police officers safer.
