Cops die, too: Our view

Cops know to be wary about traffic stops, but Louisiana state trooper Steven Vincent’s guard may have been down as he approached a pickup in a ditch near Bell City in southwestern Louisiana two Sundays ago. The truck had been reported weaving all over the road, and now it was stuck.

Vincent surely wasn’t expecting what happened next: With no warning, the driver opened the door and shot the trooper in the head with a sawed-off shotgun. Then the shooter followed the mortally wounded Vincent back to his squad car, where a microphone picked up his taunt: “You’re lucky. You’re going to die soon.” Vincent, 43, died the next day, leaving a wife and a 9-year-old son.

Vincent was the 21st law enforcement officer to be shot to death while on duty this year. Two days later there was another, also in Louisiana, at the scene of a domestic disturbance, another situation that can be fraught with danger for police. In the town of Sunset, officer Henry Nelson, 51, was shot to death when he responded to an emergency call that a man in a house had stabbed three women. Then, on Friday, Houston-area Deputy Sheriff Darren Goforth, 47, was ambushed and shot while pumping gas. The attacker shot Goforth in the back and then continued firing once Goforth was on the ground.

This has been a difficult year for violent incidents involving police. The news has focused mostly on cops using excessive or deadly force against unarmed men, mostly white cops shooting and killing unarmed black or Hispanic men: A fleeing man shot in the back and killed in North Charleston, S.C. Another fleeing man shot by a reserve police officer in Tulsa once other officers had the man on the ground. A disturbed man throwing rocks at cars and police in Pasco, Wash., shot dead by three officers.

Nothing should detract from the effort to hold police accountable for dubious shootings; in several cases, trigger-happy officers seemed to lack proper training or the temperament required for someone who has the power of life and death over his or her fellow citizens.

But what often gets lost in the justifiable anger is the other side of the story, one that police rightly feel isn’t told or appreciated enough. Over the past decade in America, an average of one officer a week has been gunned down on the job. Being a cop is a dangerous and often violent job, one where second-guessing and hesitation can get an officer hurt or killed.

That’s what might have happened to a police detective in Birmingham who pulled over a man who was driving erratically. The detective said he hesitated to use force when the man attacked him, grabbed his gun and beat him unconscious. “A lot of officers are being too cautious because of what's going on in the media,” the detective told CNN. “I hesitated because I didn't want to be in the media like I am right now.”

CNN declined to name the detective, and it’s unclear how he lost his gun. But law enforcement experts say cops are increasingly hesitating to use force for fear of a racial backlash, and the reaction to this incident, which involved a white detective and a black suspect, was ugly. Bystanders took cellphone photos of the bleeding detective and posted them online, along with vulgar captions.

That’s sad evidence of the sort of rage that’s escalating on both sides. Harris County Sheriff Ron Hickman implied Friday’s shooting of the deputy sheriff was provoked by the Black Lives Matter movement.

Maybe, maybe not. The killer's motive remained unknown on Sunday.Meanwhile, reality is often more complicated than the racial narrative. The Houston tragedy is the only one of the three latest shootings involving a white officer and black suspect. In Louisiana, the man who allegedly shot the white state trooper at the side of the road is also white. In Sunset, both the officer and his alleged killer are black — cousins, in fact.

Despite the recent spate of police deaths, this year's toll of 23 killed by gunfire remains below the decade-long average of 35 through the end of August of each year. But that's still far too many. Any serious discussion about police reform has to take into account the very real dangers and unpredictable situations that officers face.

USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.

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