PHOENIX — Friday’s shooting of Phoenix police officers during a domestic violence call is another example of a surge in violent confrontations between police and the public.
According to FBI statistics, attacks on officers went up 7% in 2020 compared to 2019. That includes punching, kicking, and using weapons.
The FBI reported 2,583 Arizona officers were assaulted in 2020.
The Mountain West has the highest rate in the country for officers assaulted and injured on the job with just over six assaults per 100 officers annually.
“Society has definitely become more violent. I think there’s definitely less respect for police than there has been in the past,” said retired Phoenix Police Detective Paul Brown.
Brown, who teaches criminal justice at Glendale Community College, says staff shortages make the job more difficult.
“Offices are going to be in more danger and subjected to injury or possibly worse with fewer officers available to respond to calls,” Brown said.
The City of Phoenix is offering bonuses to boost staffing levels and is deploying civilian crisis units to answer mental health calls to alleviate the burden on police.
Brown wants to see more resources go towards officers to match a climate that is more dangerous.
“They need to have better benefits. They need to have better medical care,” Brown said. “I really think it should be mandatory that police officers have mandatory counseling. So you can go in for counseling, get any assistance you need, and it doesn’t have an impact on your job.”
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