×

Attacks on police should be of greater concern in ND

Time and time again history has proven that North Dakota, the forgotten state north of South Dakota, is not immune from the ills that afflict the rest of the country.

That is why the growing number of attacks on police around the country should be of great concern here.

Granted, the officers and their families are already very much aware of the shameful trend. But we should all know the extent of the problem – the assaults are much more common than most of us realize.

No, it’s not just a few big shoot’em ups taking place where cops are wounded or killed, sometimes after being targeted or ambushed and FOX News or CNN is on the scene reporting live. It goes on week after week, in communities sometimes no larger than Minot, Stanley or New Town.

Here are but a few examples of stories that moved on The Associated Press wires from just last week, concerning attacks which you likely have not heard over the din of other news in print or broadcast news.

– Indiana State Police say a Cloverdale police officer and another man have been injured in an exchange of gunfire near Greencastle.

The shooting took place shortly after 4 p.m. Saturday when officers arrived at a residence to investigate a theft at a Greencastle store a few minutes earlier. State Police say a man confronted the officers near the front door and fired a shotgun, striking Cloverdale officer Luke Brown in the chest. …

– West Virginia State Police have arrested a man and charged him with firing shots at troopers at his trailer home.

The shootings pinned the troopers behind a cruiser for more than 30 minutes Friday as they dodged bullets.

Shadallen Birchfield, 32, is facing six counts each of attempted murder, wanton endangerment and three counts of battery on a police officer.

Troopers were called to the Isaban community on the Mingo and McDowell County line, shortly after 11 p.m. Friday night because of a reported heated dispute between Birchfield and a neighbor. Police say after a relative spoke with troopers, Birchfield came out and started shooting at them. …

– A Detroit university has awarded an advanced degree to a campus police officer, who was one credit short of graduating when he was fatally shot a few weeks ago.

Collin Rose’s fiancee walked on stage Saturday to accept the posthumous degree from Wayne State President Roy Wilson. It’s a Master of Arts degree in dispute resolution.

Rose, who lived in St. Clair Shores, was shot on Nov. 22 while on patrol. He died the next day…

– Prosecutors say two Westminster, Colorado, police officers were justified when they shot and killed an armed robbery suspect who brandished a large knife.

The Denver Post reports 49-year-old Thomas Tucker Jr. was shot when he advanced on one of the officers during a confrontation Sept. 20. He had led officers on a brief chase following an armed robbery in which a resident had come home to find people in his garage loading items into a car.

Investigators say Tucker fled on a motorcycle and then on foot before he dropped a handgun and produced a large knife while in a “fighting stance…”

– Thousands of uniformed officers and others paid tribute Friday to a slain Tacoma police officer, remembering him as a hero, a fierce protector and an officer who knew the dangers of his job but didn’t shy from his duties.

At a memorial service for Officer Reginald “Jake” Gutierrez, family members remembered the 45-year-old officer as a father, brother, fiance and colleague. They recalled his penchant for random acts of kindness, from buying strangers coffee to leaving generous tips to giving a homeless person the last $20 in his wallet.

Gutierrez, a 17-year veteran of the Tacoma Police Department who spent most of his career patrolling the city’s east side, was shot and killed Nov. 30 while responding to a domestic dispute. The suspected gunman was killed by a sheriff’s marksman, ending an 11-hour standoff.

“I would give everything to have one last hug,” one of his three daughters, Gabriella Cothran, told the audience through tears. …

It’s hard to imagine here in North Dakota how an officer responding to a routine domestic violence call can himself or herself become the victim. But that is the new norm in other parts of the country.

Perhaps that is what is most alarming about the Dakota Access Pipeline protesters – we know little about them, except that most of them are not from around here, that many have criminal records, that law enforcement officers and other innocent people have already been threatened or intimidated. Just what are they capable of doing?

We might get through this protest without any further violence or more serious injuries than have already been reported. North Dakota has indeed been very lucky so far.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today