The largest police union in the United States criticized that “vomiting anti-police rhetoric” by politicians and “catastrophic” reforms have contributed to a record number of police shots, just hours before another officer was killed.
The National Fraternal Order of Police condemned the “culture of lawlessness” Thursday morning, shortly after paying tribute to the three Connecticut police officers shot in Bristol on Wednesday night, two of them fatally.
“Since Monday, at least 12 police officers have been shot,” the union wrote, a tally heightened tragically hours later, when an off-duty officer was among five people shot dead in Raleigh, North Carolina, while another police officer was wounded.
“The spewing of anti-police rhetoric by some political and media figures, as well as the failed policies of rogue (prosecutors) and judges are putting our officers in greater danger.”
“This culture of lawlessness must end!” the union tweeted on its official account.
Union Vice President Joe Gamaldi called the attacks “absolutely abhorrent” and “a stain on our society.”
“As a profession, we are disgusted, exhausted, angry, above all, we are hurt,” he wrote Thursday.
The attack came amid a flurry of tweets from the oldest and largest police union alerting its 364,000 members to yet more “fallen officers.”
Earlier Thursday, he asked people to “pray for the families and friends” of the Connecticut police officers killed and shot wounded Wednesday night.
“The violence against our police is out of control. MUST STOP!” the union tweeted.
Less than 20 minutes later, he sent a similar message after Las Vegas police confirmed that a 23-year veteran, Officer Truong Thai, had been shot and killed early Thursday morning.
“We are seeing violence against law enforcement skyrocket. This must stop!”
The union then sent out a third “officers down” message later Thursday, already updating the count of police officers shot, after a Raleigh officer was shot and killed and another officer was wounded.
Earlier in the week, Greenville Police Department investigator Myiesha Stewart was shot and killed in a pursuit Tuesday night.
Also, earlier this month, the union said “the number of officers shot in the line of duty is reaching historic levels.”
By the end of last month, 252 officers had been shot on duty and 50 had been shot to death, a count now notably higher. Of those, 93 officers had been shot in 63 ambush-style attacks, the union said.
“I really don’t know what it’s going to take to wake everyone up,” Gamaldi, the union’s vice president, told Fox Business.
“Because we literally have a culture of lawlessness that is taking over this country.
“And it’s thanks to bail reform, dishonest prosecutors, dishonest judges. They just continue to push these revolving door policies, and the results have been catastrophic,” he said.
He cited an FBI report that claimed last year saw the most homicides in 309 years, singling out New Orleans, where “murders are up 141% since 2019.”