The war on law enforcement continues.
Via The State:
More people pulled guns on police during a record number of officer-involved shootings in 2015 compared to the previous year, and the number of police injured in shootings rose by half.
With 48 officer-involved shootings, 2015 marked the highest number in South Carolina since the State Law Enforcement Division began keeping track in 1999. That’s because more people are pulling guns on police officers, who had to defend themselves, law enforcement officials say.
In 26 of the 48 instances, suspects pulled guns on officers. That’s up almost 45 percent from 18 instances in 2014, according to SLED numbers.
“It sure seems to me, and I think most officers would agree, that criminals are more likely to use a firearm against an officer today than what they did in the past,” SLED Chief Mark Keel said.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott agreed, saying today’s generation lives by the gun.
“When I first started my career, you’d lock up bad guys and nobody would have guns,” Lott said. “If you chased somebody, you might have to chase them down on foot and fight them. Nobody had guns back then. Now, everybody has guns. All these kids have guns.”
Lott said that change comes as gangs expand their reach and control the drug trade.
“They’re willing to take a chance and shoot a police officer and think they can get away with it,” he said. “In years past, they would not even consider anything like that.”
The sheriff added that a recent court ruling limiting the use of stun guns in several states, including South Carolina, will make the situation worse for officers and suspects alike.
“I think that’s going to have a significant impact on our safety, have officers not sure what they’re going to do,” he said. “When you have that, you have officers hesitate. Sometimes when you hesitate, you get killed, you get injured.”