Rising disrespect for cops not only wrong, it puts us in danger

Serving as a cop in America is harder than ever — and it comes down to respect. A deficit of respect for the men and women in blue who daily put their lives on the line for the rest of us is hurting recruitment and retention and placing communities at risk.

This month, Sgt. Christopher Brewster of the Houston Police Department was shot and killed while responding to a domestic-violence call.

Several hours later that same day, Officer Stephen Carr of ­Arkansas’ Fayetteville Police ­Department was ambushed and executed while sitting in his patrol vehicle. Last week, Det. ­Joseph Seals was shot and killed by those who carried out the Jersey City massacre. Seals’ funeral is Tuesday…

Even more demoralizing, police officers must look on as the criminals that they have risked their lives to apprehend get turned loose by “social-justice” DAs and “progressive” judges who no longer see their role as protecting the community from predators. Some DAs have even exposed police officers to greater danger by announcing that they will not prosecute those who resist police.

Increasingly, police officers find themselves the subject of physical attacks. Assaults against police jumped 20 percent from 2014 to 2017, up to about 60,000 a year…

In the last 20 years, the number of full-time sworn officers per capita dropped 11 percent. Departments are experiencing shortages. The number of applications has significantly decreased over the past several years, and many officers are leaving well before retirement age.

Here is the stark reality: Without a serious focus on officer ­retention and recruitment, ­including a renewed appreciation for our men and women in blue, there won’t be enough ­police officers to protect us.