Police Week honours the service and sacrifice of United States law enforcement officers and each year up to 40,000 police from the US and around the world take part. The week begins with a massive candlelight vigil in the National Mall, and both the US president and vice-president attend the ceremony for those killed in the line of duty. Last year, that number was approximately 150 – 64 of them shot.
Among the thought-provoking events is the “Top Cops” awards night, recognising acts of heroism by police. Many of these incredible stories of bravery were illustrated with CCTV or body cam footage and, one after another, they revealed situations I can only hope our members will never have to confront.
One officer living in a remote area responded to a Christmas Day shooting involving a suspect on the loose near the officer’s own home. He left his family and tracked down the man who then shot him 12 times, including once in the spine. Fortunately, he survived, but is in a wheelchair.
We might think that we wouldn’t expect any New Zealand officer to respond in such a way. Yet, our sole-charge constables are exposed every day to potentially dangerous confrontations, and back-up is inevitably some distance away.
This year’s top award went to Officer Kelsey Francemone. She survived an ordeal no officer should ever have to face. While working alone, she was sent to a disturbance at a Father’s Day party in a neighbourhood park in Syracuse, New York. She arrived to find three men firing weapons, and CCTV showed that, as the crowd ran from the danger, she bravely ran towards it. The gunmen refused to drop their weapons and, on seeing her, one of them turned to shoot.
She fired one shot. When the shooting was over and one man was down, the crowd reversed direction and turned on Officer Francemone. She was thrown to the ground, kicked and stomped on. She did not fire at her attackers, and fought to protect her badge and weapon.
Back-up arrived some minutes later. Those attending the Washington awards sat in total silence as they listened to the recordings of the officer’s radio calls for assistance.
For me, this was a frightening example of the public-law enforcement tensions we so often hear exist in certain parts of American society. It highlighted dramatically the importance of our members engaging with all levels of our society, and working to ensure we remain trusted members of a civilly functioning community.
