LA Police Union Denounces 'Very Little' Public Outcry Over Officer Deaths
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Members of the labor union for Los Angeles police officers are calling for more Angelenos to speak out against a string of violent crimes targeting police across the nation.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, which serves as the the labor union for LAPD officers up to the rank of lieutenant, released a statement Tuesday noting "very little outcry from the public" over the deaths of of four officers ambushed and killed while on duty in the month of May.
While community members have rallied in response to the recent officer-involved shooting deaths of homeless man Brendon Glenn in Venice and Charly Keunang along Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles, the statement attributed to "LAPPL Board of Directors" alleges the public response to attacks on police officers has been far more muted.
"It seems like every few weeks we hear of another officer who has been murdered in cold blood, yet we have heard very little outcry from the public," the blog post states. "How is it possible that the citizens in these communities are not outraged? Their protectors have bull's-eyes on their backs, and no one seems to care."
The blog goes on to urge members of the public "to raise enough attention and concern in their local communities to ensure that officers around the country are protected."
It ends with the following question: "If officers continue to be consciously targeted and murdered in cold blood and little to nothing changes in the eyes of the public, what will happen? What have we as a society become?"
LAPD Cmdr. Smith confirmed earlier this week that two LAPD officers involved in the Glenn shooting have been reassigned to "home with pay".
Smith also told CBS2's Dave Lopez that Chief Charlie Beck has decided that the identities of the officers will not be released while the department assesses the validity of the threats against them.
Most recently in Baltimore, riots erupted after the funeral for Freddie Gray, a black man who suffered a fatal spinal injury while in police custody, according to the Associated Press.
Other high-profile cases of officers killing unarmed black residents include the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York City; and Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Six officers involved in Gray's death have been charged, as has the officer who killed Scott. Grand juries declined to charge the officers involved in Brown's and Garner's deaths.
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