Report: 60 Police Officers Shot, Killed This Year as Ambush Attacks Skyrocket
A total of 60 United States police officers have been shot and killed in the line of duty since the beginning of the year, new data reveals, following anti-law enforcement riots and the start of the “Defund the Police” movement in 2020.
According to records from the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and the Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), 60 police officers across 45 U.S. states and territories have been killed in gunfire from January 1 to December 3 — a nearly 28 percent increase in fatal shootings of officers compared to all of 2020 when 47 officers were shot and killed.
As of November 30, FOP records state that 314 police officers have been shot since the beginning of the year. One hundred and nineteen of those shootings occurred in the midst of 95 separate ambush-style attacks on officers, resulting in 28 of the total gunfire deaths.
Ambush attacks on officers have increased nearly 130 percent since 2020.
Chart via National Fraternal Order of Police
According to ODMP data, three police officers have been killed in the first four days of December. Madison “Skip” Nicholson, a reserve police deputy, was killed in gunfire in Wilcox County, Alabama on December 1.
Likewise, Mesquite, Texas, police officer Richard Houston, II was shot and killed in gunfire on December 3 while St. Louis County, Missouri, detective Antonio Valentine was killed in a vehicle pursuit on December 1.
Officers Madison “Skip” Nicholson, Richard Houston, II, and Antonio Valentine were killed in the line of duty in the first four days of December of 2021. (Photos via ODMP)
The increase in shootings and killings of police officers this year comes after 2020 was marked with a string of anti-law enforcement riots and the start of the “Defund the Police” movement as a result of the death of George Floyd.
Bail reform measures, where cash bail has been abolished in favor of immediate jail release for suspects charged in crimes, across New York, California, and Illinois have dramatically increased the number of repeat violent criminals who are back on the streets within hours of committing crimes.
In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed legislation this year that bans police officers from using deadly force against suspects committing property crimes and bans cash bail across the state by January 2023, among other things.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
California Eatery Says Kicking Out Cops for ‘Safe Space’ Was a Mistake
The owner of the San Francisco restaurant which kicked three uniformed police officers out to create a “safe space” for other diners apologized for the action. He went on to label it as a “mistake.”
Joseph Zira, the owner of Hilda and Jesse restaurant in San Francisco’s North Beach area, apologized on Sunday for the actions taken by his staff and managers, according to a report from KGO ABC7. He added that they regret the move, following a backlash of negative comments and articles.
Zira’s apology came two days after the staff of the restaurant posted on Instagram an announcement that they asked three uniformed police officers to leave their restaurant after the sidearms police are required to wear made them feel “uncomfortable,” Breitbart News reported. They declared the restaurant to be a “safe space.”
“The presence of their weapons in the restaurant made us uncomfortable,” the staff added to the Instagram post as a comment. “This is not a political statement, we did what we thought was best for our staff.”
At Hilda and Jesse, the restaurant is a safe space,” the post states. “The presence of the officers [sic] weapons in the restaurant made us feel uncomfortable. We respect the San Francisco Police Department and are grateful for the work they do.”
They concluded by saying the officers are welcome to return — “when off duty, out of uniform, and without their weapons.”
Rachel Sillcocks, the restaurant’s co-owner previously responded by standing by the decision. “The fact that they were in uniform with multiple weapons on them made our staff uncomfortable, and potentially other guests,” she told a reporter.
She later backtracked in a joint comment with fellow owner Kristina Leidags Compton. The two other co-owners said, “We made a mistake and apologize for the unfortunate incident, we are grateful to all members of the force. We hope this will be a teachable moment for us as we repair and continue to build bridges with the SFPD,” KGO reported.
The apologies seem to have only come after stern reactions from the public and law enforcement associations.
The San Francisco Police Officer’s Association sent a statement to KGO saying, “Three foot-beat officers looking to eat where they patrol were treated without any tact of class by this establishment, fortunately, there are plenty of restaurants that don’t discriminate and will welcome our officers working to try and keep all San Franciscans safe.”
The action to expel the officers on Friday comes amid a spiking crime wave in San Francisco and other Bay Area communities where organized criminal groups raid and loot retail establishments.
High-end businesses in the city’s Union Square area boarded up after a string of “mass looting” events rocked the region, Breitbart’s Joel Pollak reported.
The mass-looting incidents evolved after law enforcement officials in the city refused to prosecute shoplifters. Walgreens closed 17 stores in May following repeated shoplifting incidents, Breitbart’s John Nolte wrote. The San Francisco Chronicle called the city’s crime wave “out of control.”
Joseph Zira added, “I hope one day, they don’t need the police, and don’t need help,” said Zira.
San Francisco restaurant flooded with one-star reviews after refusing to serve 3 cops because the owners objected to their guns
A San Francisco restaurant was inundated with one-star reviews saying it refused to serve police.
The eatery, Hilda and Jesse, said police weapons made staff uncomfortable in a "safe space."
After an online backlash, the restaurant apologized, and its owners said "we handled this badly."
A San Francisco restaurant was flooded with hundreds of one-star reviews after staff refused to serve three armed police officers and asked them to leave.
The owners of Hilda and Jesse, a breakfast restaurant in North Beach, apologized for the incident after a widespread backlash.
According to a post shared by the restaurant on Instagram, three armed and uniformed police officers came on Friday.
The post said the staff asked them "politely" to leave because they felt "uncomfortable with the presence of their multiple weapons."
The post described the restaurant as a "safe space" and said the "presence of the officers weapons in the restaurant made us feel uncomfortable." It said asking them to go was not a "political statement."
In a statement, the restaurant's co-owner Rachel Sillcocks said the restaurant was a "safe space — particularly for queer and bipoc individuals." BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of color.
She said the police officers could have made guests as well as staff uncomfortable.
After the Instagram post was published on Saturday, the restaurant was flooded with hundreds of one-star reviews on Yelp.
Yelp added a statement to the restaurant's page saying it had temporarily stopped accepting reviews since they mostly did not relate to people's experience dining there.
Many of the reviews cited the decision to eject the police officers. One said: "I would not support or recommend a San Francisco business that discriminates against the SFPD. Shame on you!!!"
On Sunday evening, Sillcocks and the co-owner Kristina Compton apologized in another Instagram post.
"We made a mistake and apologize for the unfortunate incident on Friday when we asked members of the San Francisco Police Department to leave our restaurant," they said.
"We are grateful to all members of the force who work hard to keep us safe, especially during these challenging times.
"We hope this will be a teachable moment for us as we repair and continue to build bridges with the SFPD.
"These are stressful times, and we handled this badly."
Read the original article on Business Insider
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