Law enforcement is a dangerous profession, but officers enter it willingly with a sense of purpose. This year the U.S. has lost 130 police officers in 33 states. At least 61 have been killed by gunfire. Only two of those deaths were accidental. All the rest are due to armed suspects who in the course of an arrest shot the officer, or in the more publicized cases, assassinated the officer. Police officers killed in the line of duty this year:

Last year, 110 officers were killed, but only 36 deaths were firearms related. In 2016, the number of police shot and killed is the highest number in the last decade, except for 2011 when 73 were killed, and in 2007 when 70 were killed. The next leading cause of death is auto accident which averages around 40. This should illustrate quite clearly that the greatest danger facing officers is a violent offender, which gives them good reason to be cautious of anyone with whom they interact.

While thinking President Obama would be any help to squelch the violence, particularly the officer executions, is a lost cause, it falls to citizens to both vocally support law enforcement, and to adhere to appropriate behavior whenever interacting with the police.