Police officers face violence every day
The use of "deadly force" by officers of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department has been in the news lately. The cops who put their lives on the line every day for the citizens and visitors of St. Louis would like to clarify the situation.
The editorial "Justified? Who's asking?" (Jan. 13) correctly says, "Anyone who has not been in a situation in which he believed his life was at risk should be careful in criticizing those who have." But the Post-Dispatch ignores its own advice.
On March 8, Deputy Marshal John Perry was killed while trying to serve a warrant on a convicted felon in south St. Louis. Another deputy marshal and a St. Louis police officer were shot; both survived.
This is the life we face every day.
On April 24, off-duty Officer Daryl Hall identified himself as a policeman, but was shot and killed when he took action against a gun-blazing individual at a downtown club.
This is the life we face every day.
On Dec. 20, the police radio cautioned officers patrolling north St. Louis around Riverview and Thekla avenues that death threats were being made against police in retaliation for the shooting of a convicted felon there.
This is the life we face every day.
On Jan. 17, a man with a gun was observed by three officers on patrol. The officers approached the man and ordered him to drop his weapon. He pointed the gun at them, shots ensued, and he ran. Despite repeated orders to drop his gun, he continued to threaten the officers and fired at them. He was shot and died of his wounds.
St. Louis is a violent city; our violent crime rate is higher than any other city in the nation. Guns are plentiful among bad guys. Too often those guns are pointed at us.
This is the life we face every day.
City residents ask what the police are doing about the crime. We do the best we can, but the media focuses on the speed of a police car in pursuit, how many shots were fired, who shot first and was too much force used?
This is the life we face every day.
We agree that the police need to be held accountable for misdeeds. But shame on the media for warping statistics and sensationalizing stories. Attention should be focused on the bad guys who have made St. Louis such a violent city.
David Bonenberger • St. Louis
President, St. Louis Police Officers Association
