Sunday night, a Pennsylvania State Trooper lost his life during a traffic stop.
This is not a random event, as traffic stops offer some of the biggest risks for police officers in this country along with domestic violence calls.
The question we need to be asking is why this is happening.
Study after study has been done on this subject, and they always come back with the same answers.
Jordan Blair Woods, a University of Arizona law professor, has studied this issue extensively, and stated, "A better statement would have been that ‘domestic disturbance/violence incidents are one of the most common circumstances in which on-duty law enforcement officers are feloniously killed.’"
The felonious death, as defined by the FBI, is "a direct result of a willful and intentional act by an offender."
My friends who are officers all tell me the same thing… They would rather take a call where it is clear they are going into a violent situation any day over a domestic disturbance or traffic stop simply because their guard is already up, and they know what to expect. In those situations, it is literally like playing Russian roulette.
I won’t rehash the attacks against our officers by Democrats here again, but we all know the words they have said. And those words have hit home for far too many people.
In 2024, statistics tell us that violent crime fell, but the stats also say that crimes against police officers have hit highs we have not seen in a decade.
One official stated, “Between 2021 and 2024, we had 258 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the line of duty.”
Now, finally, they are starting to do deep dives as to why these attacks are happening.
That was all a lead-in to yet another report of another officer being shot and killed in what should be a routine traffic stop.
Gov. Josh Shapiro announced the death of Trooper Timothy O’Connor, stating, “I am profoundly saddened to announce that tonight, Pennsylvania State Police family lost a son, lost a hero, and lost a dedicated public servant.
“Corporal Timothy O’Connor [was] killed tonight doing what he’s dedicated his life to. And that is serving others, keeping our community safe, looking out for his fellow Pennsylvanians, especially right here in Chester County.”
When-does-it-stop? That is the only question we need answered. Part one of that answer is when public officials stop painting these heroes as villains. Part two, well, that is up to the people of this country to once again respect the badge, but that does not happen without part one.
