Officer down

A police officer has been killed.\nGunshots shattered the morning calm last Thursday in Indianapolis. What began as an attempt to apprehend a burglary suspect ended with an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department canine named Bo losing his life in the suspect’s effort to flee.\nThis tragic event underscores the dangers that police officers face every day. They enter hostile communities and risk their lives trying to make streets safer, where they are disrespected and put in physical danger.\nAccording to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks the numbers and details of police officer deaths, six officers in America have been killed since the beginning of May. \nMany believe that not much that can be done about all this, but in reality, a few solutions can be addressed.\nFirst, we must start punishing the people who kill police officers.\nOne of the most disgusting examples of justice gone wrong is the case of Mumia Abu Jamal. \nIn 1982, Jamal was convicted of murdering Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. Since then, his case has been on appeal and he has become a celebrated cause for left-wing activists like Danny Glover. He currently has an appeals hearing scheduled for May 17 before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. \nNow, I am going to say this as politely as I can: Mumia Abu Jamal should burn in hell.\nIt has been established that he murdered a hard working public servant in cold blood. The fact that he has been appealing his case longer than I have been alive only shows the serious flaws in America’s criminal justice system.\nThe state of Pennsylvania should no longer be forced to house Jamal behind bars and should be allowed to mete out punishment for the act that put him there in the first place.\nSecond, elected officials must stand up for their law enforcement officers.\nJust days after the Sean Bell shooting in New York City last year, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, “I can tell you that it is to me unacceptable or inexplicable how you can have 50-odd shots fired.” He went on to say that no evidence exists showing that the victims were doing anything wrong.\nWhile I am sure Bloomberg does find it unacceptable, he has never had to worry about crime in his palatial mansions. He never had to patrol hostile streets in the attempt to make them safe for civilized folks.\nThe NYPD and police departments in general have enough to worry about with the likes of the ACLU and Al Sharpton watching their every move. They should not have to worry about being betrayed by their superiors.\nPolice officers have a dangerous job. Those who have lost their lives while working should be remembered as the heroes they are and those accused of misconduct should be given the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.\nThis is the least we can do for our hardworking professionals.