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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Violence against police spikes in January

Associated Press
Eleven police officers were shot across the nation, including three in the Pacific Northwest, in a 24-hour period ending Monday, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. So far this year, 14 law enforcement officers have been killed in the U.S. Last year, 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. The spike in shootings this month is alarming, Memorial Fund Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd said in a news release. “I have never seen anything like it,” Floyd said. “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, two sheriff’s deputies in Washington were shot at a Walmart while responding to a call reporting a suspicious person. Police officers in Lincoln City, Ore., and Indianapolis were critically injured in shootings during traffic stops. An Oregon State Police dispatcher says the search continues today for a man who shot Lincoln City Officer Steven Dodds and fled on foot. Two St. Petersburg, Fla., police officers were shot and killed Monday while helping other officers serve a warrant on a man with a long criminal history. 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. Also 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.