| Police Get Bad Rap on Use of Force By Michael Reagan An acquaintance of mine contends a more accurate description of the "I Can't Breathe" protesters who have been making a spectacle of themselves around the country would be "I Can't Think." These sanctimonious marchers are applying a sweeping, negative stereotype to an entire class of people that they would never accept if applied to themselves. They are all individuals who should be judged as individuals, while they believe the police are part of the great blue wall and willing participants in a system that delights in brutality. The fact is police work is dangerous and an officer can never be sure if the "gentle giant" in front of him is a peaceful citizen or an undiscovered lawbreaker who may attack when he drops his guard. Editor's Notes: Special: 8 Popular Foods Are Drenched in Cancer-Causing Chemicals IRS Insider Reveals How to Save as Much as $355,000 And attacks are happening all too frequently. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund issued its annual report of line of duty police deaths and the statistics are sobering. Fox News reports that last year the "number of law enforcement officers killed by firearms in the U.S. jumped by 56 percent this year and included 15 ambush assaults." A total of 50 officers died by gunfire in 2014 compared with 32 in 2013. Craig Floyd, the chairman and CEO of the memorial fund, was quoted as observing, "With the increasing number of ambush-style attacks against our officers, I am deeply concerned that a growing anti-government sentiment in America is influencing weak-minded individuals to launch violent assaults against the men and women working to enforce our laws and keep our nation safe." Any encounter an officer has with a member of the public can go from peaceful to code red in the blink of an eye. When that happens an officer's options are limited and force may be the only out, as the Rev. Jarrett Maupin discovered. Fox 10 Phoenix covered what happened when the Rev. Maupin, a vocal and prominent critic of "police brutality," agreed to go through a series of police use-of-force training scenarios. In one scenario he shot an unarmed man who approached him. In another he took an unarmed man to the ground. And in the third test the unarmed man shot him dead. Maupin's views on police and use of force changed dramatically after the training session and he deserves our admiration for being open-minded enough to participate in the test from the officer's side. There's nothing like a little hands-on experience to give depth to one's understanding. Unfortunately, the "I Can't Think" people won't give the idea a second thought. Michael Reagan is the son of former President Ronald Reagan and chairman of the League of American Voters. His blog appears on reaganreports.com More Links: 3 Easy Tips to Super-Power Your Memory ALERT: Report: 5 Reasons to Buy Retirement Crash Insurance Now | 
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