FBI agent: Several actions are needed to stem anti-police sentiment | Opinion

Last year, 2021, was the deadliest year for law enforcement officers in the United States in over 90 years, with 458 officers dying in the line of duty.

Of that tragic number, 73 officers were victims of felonious deaths. These officers were deliberately murdered by the actions of their adversary at a rate nearly 60% greater than the year before.

This is unacceptable.

Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed this in Florida and no law enforcement agency is immune to this violent trend.

FBI Special Agents Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger were murdered in South Florida during the execution of a crimes against children search warrant.

Sergeant Brian LaVigne (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office), Deputy Michael Magli (Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office), and Officer Jesse Madsen (Tampa Police Department) were each killed by vehicular assaults. These heroes are amongst the many others lost while working to protect us all.

What is causing the increase of felonious deaths of our officers?

While there is no single root cause, anti-police sentiment has clearly increased over the course of the last few years. The death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer spurred anti-police protests across the country. The officer responsible for Mr. Floyd’s death was ultimately held accountable by a jury of his peers, but the damage to the image of law enforcement was cemented for many.

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It’s important to remember the majority of law enforcement are in the job for the right reason — to protect the innocent and bring to justice those who have committed crimes.

Valid discussions are happening across the country about the process of policing. However, civil discussions have devolved into vitriolic attacks and sweeping generalizations. Political rhetoric has the potential to incite violence against our officers.

Quite simply, words matter, but we must not allow our law enforcement members to become pawns in a dangerous game. When the people who have sworn to protect us are no longer safe, it endangers the well-being of our society.

The sad truth is that anti-police narratives have contributed to a steep decline of respect for officers of the law. While this is not a universal truth for all, we must understand the implications of this sentiment. More importantly, we must reverse this course for the good of our social order.

To combat this trend, several actions are needed. Law enforcement must increase their bond with communities through meaningful outreach programs; address those who fail to meet our professional standards with absolute transparency; publicly highlight the successes of our officers working on the front lines; provide the personnel, training, and funding to our police to fulfill their obligation to the public; and ensure that no one who attacks our officers does so with impunity.

And it’s up to all of us to confront and challenge hateful speech or anti-police rhetoric. Our collective goal is to allow our officers to safely perform their job each day. Let’s “Unite them safely with their families after duty has ended.”

Michael McPherson is the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office. The Tampa Field Office is responsible for 18 counties in Central Florida and has satellite offices in Fort Myers, Sarasota, Clearwater, Lakeland, Orlando, and Melbourne.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: FBI agent: Several actions needed to stem anti-police sentiment