Ambush cop killings not uncommon

Ambush cop killings not uncommon

Fatal ambushes, similar to an attack this weekend on two New York City police officers, have been among the leading causes of firearm-related police deaths for the past several years, according to data maintained by a national law enforcement group.

At midyear, an analysis conducted by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which closely tracks officer deaths, found that ambushes were the second-leading cause of firearm killings. As recently as 2012, ambushes accounted for the most fatal shootings involving police: 30% of the 50 firearm deaths that year were attributed to such attacks.

Though officer deaths, including fatal shootings, have been subject to dramatic swings over the years, one analysts say ambushes have remained among the most persistent and hardest threats.

“It really is all about awareness and paying attention to your surroundings,” said Darrel Stephens, executive director of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. “There is an emphasis on being hypervigilant just because this threat is out there, but the ability to sustain that ... is very difficult.”

Stephens, a former Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., chief, said authorities have attempted to bolster their defenses by drawing from a series of incidents.

Among them: the sniper attack in September on a Pennsylvania State Police barracks that left one trooper dead and another wounded. The alleged shooter, Eric Frein, was elevated to the FBI’s list of most wanted suspects before his capture in October.

“We have learned a lot, but I don’t think we can prevent it altogether,” Stephens said. “It’s a big challenge.”

Following a rash of violence against police, Attorney General Eric Holder in 2011 created the National Officer Safety and Wellness Group to review incidents, including ambush attacks.

What we can expect is the hypervigilant police officers are going to hypertrigger pullers. Split seconds matter and if it is me or you....well we all know the answer to that.