2015 is one of the safest years for police in 25 years, despite ‘war on cops’ media coverage

2015 may end up being the safest year for police officers in the past 25 years.

Sep 6, 2015

2015 may end up being the safest year for police officers in the past 25 years.

The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), which has been tracking officer deaths for the past 100 years, shows that this year, there have been 24 officers shot and killed by suspects this year. If the rate continues at this pace, the ODMP estimates 36 such deaths in the year 2015, which will be the lowest in 25 year, aside from 31 deaths in 2013.

Each one of these deaths is a tragedy and should not be taken lightly. However, this statistic does seem to throw a wrench into the works of people who are claiming that there is a “war on cops” mentality in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The rhetoric of the “war on cops” stems from highly-publicized incidents such as the recent death of Harris County sheriff’s deputy Darren Goforth, who was shot from behind while at a gas station in a senseless killing that many have tried to link to the Black Lives Matter movement, despite the fact that the suspect, Shannon Miles, never claimed to be affiliated with the movement.

In fact, the vast majority of the 24 deaths happened when police were engaged with violent suspects or were hit in an exchange of gunfire. Very few come close to the execution-style death in Harris County.

And yet, the idea of a “war on cops” persists.

“The police continue to be intentionally misleading about their rhetoric and openly hostile to anyone who questions them,” DeRay Mckesson, one of the most visible leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement, said. “It’s a profession that refuses any attempts for accountability and justice.”