Sheriff Cunningham Looks Back on 2019; A Deadly Year for Alabama Law Enforcement
2019 has been a deadly year for law enforcement officers in Alabama.
The shooting death of Huntsville Officer Billy Clardy III marked the sixth death for the state within a year.
According to Attorney General Steve Marshall, 2019 has seen the greatest number of law enforcement deaths by gunfire since 2009.
“Anytime you lose as many law enforcement officers that we have lost this past year, that is sad but it tells you how our society is changing,” said Montgomery County Sheriff, Derrick Cunningham.
Cunningham says law enforcement used to be a profession people associated with safety and staying safe. Now, firearms are being used against those who are meant to protect citizens. Cunningham says he continues to worry about the men and women on his staff on a daily basis.
“I don’t want to see them going out and I got to go by and talk with the family over something that we should have been able to prevent,” said Cunningham.
He is not only concerned for the officers patrolling the streets but also those working inside the jails.
“I still got 189 people that work in the jail and if you look at the assaults on correctional officers that are occurring just on a daily basis, and you see from our local media just how many correctional officers are injured or killed just by going to work,” said Cunningham.
As 2019 comes to a close, Cunningham says changes must take place to protect those in law enforcement and to support their families.
“They need to know if something happens to their loved one they’re going to be take care of. I don’t think we need to have a GoFundMe Page to let the families know that they’re going to be taken care. I think that is something that we as law enforcement leaders, and we as citizens of this state, should let them know we are going to take care of you just like our military,” said Cunningham.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, Alabama has seen a total of 560 law enforcement deaths in the line of duty in its history.
