ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. --
The slaying of two police officers as they helped serve a warrant stunned a state already mourning police deaths in Miami and capped a bloody 24 hours nationwide that saw 11 officers shot in five states.
"That's not normal," said Steven Groeninger, a spokesman for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which tracks police deaths. "It kind of seems like law enforcement, because of their uniform, have a target on their back."
So far in January, 14 officers have been killed in the line of duty. Two of the 11 shot between Sunday and Monday have died.
They were St. Petersburg Police Sgt. Thomas Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz, gunned down Monday while helping other officers serve a warrant on a man with a long criminal history.
Shortly before 7 a.m., a U.S. marshal, a Pinellas County deputy and an undercover St. Petersburg detective went to a home to arrest Hydra Lacy Jr., 39, on an aggravated battery charge. When they learned he was in the attic with a weapon, they summoned backup.
Officials said Yaslowitz, who was just getting off his night shift, and Baitinger responded.
Twenty-two minutes later, gunfire broke out.
When it was over, Baitinger and Yaslowitz were dead and Lacy - the brother of Jeff Lacy, former International Boxing Federation super middleweight champion - lay dead as well, either by his own hand or police bullets. A U.S. marshal whose name was not released was shot twice but was doing fine, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Tom Figmik said.
Officials said Lacy had a long record, with convictions for armed robbery and sexual battery. He was listed with the state as a sex offender and had failed to register with authorities in December as required.
Deputies had been seeking him since.
"In my mind as a police officer, this crook, this criminal, this murderer, cop-killer, whatever you would like to call him, did a terrible injustice to two of my people today and two of the people that served this community," Police Chief Chuck Harmon said during an afternoon news conference.
The officers' deaths came just four days after two Miami-Dade County detectives were killed by a murder suspect they were trying to arrest. That suspect was killed by another detective.
Those officers were remembered Monday at a funeral where news of the St. Petersburg shootings added to the grief already palpable among the thousands gathered at AmericanAirlines Arena in downtown Miami.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund said the 14 January deaths came after a "devastating spike" in law enforcement deaths last year, when 162 officers were killed in the line of duty, up from 117 in 2009. Of the 162 officers, 61 were shot, an increase of 24 percent from 2009.
"I have never seen anything like it," Memorial Fund Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd said in a news release. "The violent events of the past 24 hours in Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon and Washington have been detrimental to America's peace officers, taking the lives of two and injuring several others. We must do everything in our power to stop these senseless and heinous crimes against our law enforcement personnel."
On Sunday, a man opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct, wounding four officers including a commander before he was shot and killed by police. The officers' injuries were not considered life-threatening, Police Chief Ralph Godbee said.
Also on Sunday, two sheriff's deputies in Washington state were shot at a Walmart while responding to a call reporting a suspicious person, according to the memorial group. Police officers in both Indianapolis and Lincoln City, Ore., were critically injured in shootings during traffic stops.
13 comments:
I still would like to be a police officer and I'm well aware of the risks associated with this type of profession. It's a shame how many politician's will deny the correlation between this dwindling economy and the spike in crime, especially the killings of police officers. Police officers become victims because many do not live up to the clean cut image and many are corrupt. As a veteran I follow the core values of honor, courage, and committment and without them I would not be fit to pursue my goal of becoming a US Marshal.
after reading this article it gives me some details of what i am going to be facing in my future of being a police officer. i do believe that most police officers bring it upon them selves to be corrupt, or actually make their community better by taking drugs and other negative things off the streets. i think that if most police officers don't abuse their authority, then they will not have any worries about citizens or criminals trying to kill them.
I've never had any interest in becoming a police officer. This article was enlightening though.
What is this country coming to no respect for the law. We are in a sad state of mind .
swright
This is why i have so much respect for policing officers.we should all be hesitant to say f**k the police or call the racist..cos they are out there risking lives everyday to keep our street clean..i wont blame them if they are a little Biased and paranoid when it comes to some races..they seen/heard alot of crimes mostly by the same race&have seen their colleagues murdered mostly by a certain types of folks. so Excuse them for being paranoid when they see us.
5719
Im still going to become a police officer. yes, cops die and so do many many civilians who aren't looking for trouble. I hate the term copkiller. It's like if the life of an officer is more important than that of a cashier who gets killed in a robbery. thats how the media and cops portray it. they are just muderers regardless. we are all created equal under God and the law, but cops always seem to be more important than everyone else.
S.d. cji 102 4954
This is the job that they choose to serve in. They know the risk factors involved and at any time there life is on the line. Things like this are going to happen because of who they are. This world is full of sick people that can snap at anytime. I commend anyone that wants to be in law enforcment. I'd wanted too when I was in my early 20's but now I'm glad that I didn't. I have kids now and I want to enjoy every waking moment with them. I want to come home to my children at night.
People that are seeking to go into law enforcment knows what it details. It can become a life or death situation. When I was younger I though I'd wanted to be a cop but after having my first child I'm glad that I didn't. I want to be able to come home to my son everyday. It's a risky job but someone has to do it and thank God it's not me.
Arbubaker-1221
CJI-102
This is a very sad article. However out of the 200 officers that died in the line of duty in the year how many did not. I do not know how many police officers there are in this country. I know in New Jersey there are about 3,000 state police and who knows how many local, county, port authority, and other police officers there are. What is the percentage of getting killed being a police officer? I did not do the math but probably less than 1 percent. With this being said police have to be very careful to lower those chances. Everyone knows police officers have a chance of dying or getting hurt it is part of the job. There are also a chance that you can die working in the working at PSEG having an explosion in the underground or being a firefighter and getting burned in a burning building. It is part of the job and someone as to do it. Everyone that plays football knows that there is good chance that they might have headaches, and possibly being brain dead or trauma to the brain after they are done playing. They play anyway. Everyone knows the dangers of being a police officer you do not want to do it sit in a office.
NS 3498
Being a police officer is a risky job. There are people who will and will not like you because you are the police. I feel going into this field, we all realize this. Recently, more and more leo's have been killed in the line of duty. At any moment, anything can happen.
A.A. 5111
After reading this article, I will have the desire to become a police officer. Even after reading how the police fatalities have gone up in recent years that would not bother me. It has always been my dream to become a police officer; not because my father is a officer but I wanna protect and serve the community. I want to become a police officer because I want to represent the community with honor and pride toward the community members. I want to assure that everyone is protected and safe in the community I serve. Its my job and soul duty to risk my life over the community, its what I want and will do if need to be. -JC5020
After reading the article I found it quite alarming the drastic spike in the number of Officer deaths, and the number of deaths that resulted from gun violence. Even though this is quite alarming I feel as if it won't deter people from serving if that is what they truly aspire to do, because that risk has always presented itself. Being apart of law enforcement is a calling that only a select few are truly cut out to do. These numbers have been increasing because of the relationship between law enforcement and the people worsening. It also puts into perspective some of the quick actions that officers must make and have at times resulted in the deaths of people. No matter how brave and well trained an officer is they are still human and they still have a looming fear that someone will pull a gun and end their life.
-KK 8086
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