Are Police Able To Effectively Defend Themselves?

We are relieved to point out a report that the Birmingham, Ala., police detective who was pistol-whipped unconscious last Friday during a traffic stop is out of the hospital. It remains to be seen if the officer can remain unnamed to shield his family.

While details are still emerging as to how the suspect got the veteran officer’s weapon, other things are clear. According to Sergeant Heath Boackle of the BPD, “(The police) are walking on eggshells because of how they’re scrutinized by the media.” In this case, the officer didn’t use his gun to stop the attack because he “didn’t want to be in the media”—nearly getting him killed.

BPD Chief A.C. Roper captured the larger context amid online celebration of the attack: “The nobility of policing has been challenged … and we have allowed popular culture to draft a narrative which is contrary to the amazing work that so many officers are doing.”