The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 25, Number 2

The New Jersey Police Chief Magazine | February 2019 FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT CHIEF RICHARD J. BUZBY, JR. LITTLE EGG HARBOR PD All of us have been carefully watching the continuing slaughter of the nation's law enforcement officers, too often through ambush and suddenly escalated attacks. Having been asked to comment nationally on this phenomenon, I have had to pay particular attention to these developments and what I have observed is not pretty. The 2018 numbers were up and the early 2019 numbers appear to be as bad or worse. When first asked to comment I felt it better to try and address the biased narrative that many of us believe has contributed to this and you may have heard me ask our people to continue to "turn the other cheek" in the hope that this, combined with an unprecedented community policing outreach from us all, could somehow thwart this invective and to actually improve things. Based on these early numbers the results thus far are not promising. We are not alone in the belief that the ambush and escalation issue has worsened and continues to do so. The FBI, for example, recently published a LEOKA study that examined data compiled from 1987 through 2016, that included some commentary that continued into 2017. The study carefully examined the underlying issues and methodology of attacks on police and concluded that sudden attacks and ambush were up steadily throughout that period. I don't profess to be a statistician but I think it is fair to say that if the 2018 data were included, the increase demonstrated would be even more dramatic. The FBI also recently published another study that examined attacks on first responders while they were responding to mass casualty incidents. Those numbers were also obviously of concern, indicating that aggressors are getting better at inflicting casualties on the first response effort in an apparent attempt to hamper those responses. Also sobering when you consider that police are the most vulnerable at those times. All of this has caused us in leadership to reexamine our approaches in this uncharted sea of confusing and often conflicting viewpoints. We community policing mavens, for example, want to draw upon the strong foundation and resulting relationships that CP has made possible. Locally, that approach can and has worked, helping greatly in tumultuous periods. Globally, however, local relationships make for great stories but, alone, do not appear capable of turning the tide. With that said, it appears that something more is required and it is incumbent upon us to not only find a solution but also to chart this route and also to lead the effort when we arrive at the place and time of decision. Having received so many questions about the source of the anti-police narrative I think therein lies the root of the problem and, perhaps, ultimately, its solution. I have thought about this a great deal, and discussed it with those wiser than myself a great deal more. Collectively, we have arrived at the conclusion that, while there have always been individuals who were strongly anti-police, the rhetoric has never sharpened in tone and vigor as quickly as it did in the previous presidential administration. There has always been blame enough to go around, and certainly some of it on us, but a series of events that occurred then and a series of prolonged and undeniably negative commentary by top national leaders corresponds directly to the rise of that narrative. Our new president, to his credit, has remained an unabashed supporter of our profession but it appears to many that the damage had been done. In these regards I think the facts have the potential of setting the truth free. I think that in order to best protect those that venture into the breach at our orders, we need to set the record straight and let the people of this great state know that they can continue to rely on some of the best police officers in the world. It is also important to continue to talk about how anyone can make a mistake, including us, but it is ok to talk about it, and equally important that we be expected to correct these when we do. It's also perfectly ok for us to state that we, likewise, have the expectation that when our people risk all for the greater community, that the greater community and its leaders should equally be there for them and us. Fox News, from our perspective, has been a great leader in discussing the difficult truths in this nation. Below is a link to the our latest show in these regards: https://video.foxnews.com/v/5999536952001/?playlist_id=930909787001#sp=show-clips Sincerely and fraternally, Chief Richard J. Buzby, Jr. NJSACOP President 3

The NJ Police Chief Magazine Volume 25, Number 2 | Page 4