As I asserted in the below post--and in numerous instances within this blog--the "bad guys" are getting bolder and more brazen. Here is a video of a man who attacks a police officer while he sat behind the counter in a police station in Elyria, OH. Years ago, events such as this almost never occurred. Now the "safety and security" of police in police stations are increasingly being challenged.
Here is what happened. Anthony Thomas, 29, had been arrested on outstanding warrants earlier in the day. As he awaited release, he was standing on one side of a desk while Officer William Witt works at a computer on the other side.
Witt turns and appears to say something to Thomas. While the two have a short conversation, Thomas jumps over the counter and attacks the officer. The two men then struggle in a corner behind the desk. According to Witt’s report on the incident, he could feel Thomas grabbing for his side where his service weapon would have been holstered. Thankfully, the gun had been locked up before he went into the booking area.
As the video illustrates, the struggle continued. Thomas gets behind Witt, who grabs a phone on the desk and tries to summon help. According to the police report, Witt’s microphone for his portable radio had fallen off his shirt during the scuffle. Witt then elbows Thomas and turns around and punches him several times. The two then lurch back toward the computer, where Thomas appears to try to wrap his arms around Witt’s neck after the officer slams him toward the computer keyboard.
Later Officer Witt manages to get his hands around Thomas’ neck and begins to choke him. As he did so, he forced him back into the notch in the counter. Elyria Police Chief Duane Whitely summed up this incident by saying he doesn’t know why Anthony Thomas attacked Officer Witt, but Thomas’ intent was clear. “To me, he was trying to kill him,” Whitely said. Read Article
So do you still want the "community policing" style police facilities? Those open, "inviting," and "customer friendly" police facilities will represent an increasingly dangerous place for police personnel. As Public Safety Policing becomes necessary, this style of police stations will need to be retro-fitted or abandoned. In doing so, the "warm and fuzzy" days of Community Policing will go away along with this style of "open and inviting" police facilities.
The above picture depicts a police station in Northern Ireland. Look hard. The key is to make the police facility a hard target. Compare this to the video. Welcome to the Brave New World of policing...