Public shootings put police in path of more bullets

Over the last year and a half, most of the talk about police has revolved around unjustified police shootings.

Law enforcement always needs healthy scrutiny. But the last seven days have been a reminder that there are many more heroes than rogues among the nation’s police officers.

The echoes of last Friday’s shootings in Colorado Springs had hardly faded Wednesday when a pair of very effective killers carried out a shocking massacre in San Bernardino, California.

The Colorado shooter appears to be a violent malcontent; targeting a Planned Parenthood clinic, he killed three people and wounded nine. The California killers were far more professional. Armed with military-style rifles, they attacked an office party and ultimately killed 14 and injured 21.

An officer ushering people to safety from the building in San Bernardino reassured the frightened group with an unforgettable comment. “I’ll take a bullet before you do, that’s for damn sure,” he told them.

Law enforcement did in fact take bullets on the public’s behalf in both California and Colorado. They came out worst in Colorado Springs, where six officers were shot along with four civilians. One of the officers, Garrett Swasey, died. He was a father of two, a church elder and former ice-dancer.

The second shooting points to a growing danger for law enforcement in this country.

Contrary to public impression, the level of gun violence has actually been falling in this country for many years. But that’s largely a decline of common murders — crimes in which the police generally show up after the shooter has fled.

Mass shootings, however, are on the increase. These crimes, in which the perpetrator singles out one victim after another, often force officers to put their bodies between the killer and his intended targets.

Since the massacre at Columbine High School in 1999, law enforcement commanders have learned that they can’t hang back waiting for reinforcements and a carefully laid battle plan before engaging. Too many innocent people can be killed in the meantime. Increasingly, officers are breaking in to confront the shooters as soon as possible — exposing themselves to great danger.

Paris-style terrorism takes the risk to a whole new level. We don’t know yet whether the San Bernardino killers were part of a terror operation, but the FBI is investigating them as such, and they certainly acted the part. Before the attack, they’d amassed an arsenal of bombs and more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition. They reportedly used military-style tactics during the slaughter and their subsequent shootout with police.

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the “militarization” of police departments. In “active shooter” scenarios, though, law enforcement may really need those armored vehicles, assault gear and automatic rifles.

Unless something changes the trajectory of mass shootings in the country, they’re likely to need yet more of them in coming years.

This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 9:50 AM with the headline "Public shootings put police in path of more bullets."