Police Chief Urges Vigilance for Domestic Terrorist Attacks
Department of Homeland Security Says More Attacks Coming
(TX) – Art Acevedo, who is the chief over the Houston Police Department, gave a press conference that included several different topics. His discussion of what the Department of Homeland Security had to say is of particular interest. Chief Acevedo said, “We are a hot bed, and we have to be vigilant.” This is absolutely true, but it’s particularly true in regards to police officers. Officers don’t seem to realize the danger they are in. The ABC 13 article quotes Acevedo as saying,
“The blue line has been hijacked by racists,” Acevedo said. “They’re real supportive when you wear this uniform, as long as you let them engage in mayhem and let them engage in sedition.”
Thank you, Chief Acevedo! Finally someone in law enforcement, and in a position of authority, has said it. Chief Acevedo, who always has been one to tell it like it is, has acknowledged that bad actors are trying to manipulate officers. This is absolutely true and I would go further in saying that it’s not just racists who have hijacked the blue line. The hijackers include terrorist organizations. These groups were never on the side of law enforcement. What they were doing was trying to manipulate law enforcement officers into ignoring their oath and turning a blind eye to anything the terrorist groups were doing.
Extremist Violence Against Police Officers
The insurrection at the Capitol showed us all what those people who supposedly backed the blue really thought of officers. The chairman of the Capitol Police Union put out a scathing statement on Wednesday. Chairman Gus Papathanasiou laid the blame on the department’s leadership and stated what officers suffered. Per ABC News,
“I have officers who were not issued helmets prior to the attack who have sustained brain injuries. One officer has two cracked ribs and two smashed spinal discs,” Papathanasiou wrote. “One officer is going to lose his eye, and another was stabbed with a metal fence stake.”
That doesn’t tell the full story. According to Newsweek,
“A Justice Department court filing has revealed that at least 134 police officers were assaulted during the Capitol riots on January 6. The document says that 81 officers from the Capitol Police force and 58 from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.”
134 officers reported injured and yet it’s still not the whole story. There were plenty more who received minor injuries or were sprayed with bear mace, who didn’t bother reporting their injuries.
Another Police Officer Commits Suicide
We wrote a little bit about Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood. Now we’ve found out that another police officer, Jeffrey Smith, committed suicide and the police were keeping it quiet. According to Politico,
Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee told House appropriators during a closed-door session on Tuesday that Jeffrey Smith, a D.C. Police officer, and Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood both “took their own lives in the aftermath of that battle.”
This is devastating. Can you imagine how it must have felt to be up against a massive mob who wanted to tear you limb from limb? Can you imagine the fear and desperation that must have been flooding the officers’ bodies while their mind was standing fast to duty and honor? Can you imagine the disillusionment the officers must have felt when they witnessed the hatred aimed at them from people they are also sworn to protect? Can you imagine the level of despair they felt as they fought for their lives, holding on for backup to arrive, only to finally realize it wasn’t coming? It wouldn’t surprise me if every single one of these officers was suffering from some form of PTSD after the January 6 insurrection.
It’s not over. The domestic terrorist organizations are still planning more acts of violence. That means civilians and police officers are still in danger. What happened at the Capitol must never happen again. If you know of anyone planning attacks, or even suspect someone you know may be involved in planning an attack, contact the FBI.