Even the best training can’t prevent ‘senseless violence’ against officers, Phoenix official says
Sep 4, 2024, 9:46 AM | Updated: 10:04 am
Phoenix Police officers receive the best training in the nation, according to City Councilman Kevin Robinson. (KTAR News File Photo)
(KTAR News File Photo)
PHOENIX – No amount of training can fully prepare police for the “senseless violence” they see all too often, a Phoenix official with decades of public safety experience said a day after two officers were shot while responding to a vehicle theft call.
City Councilman Kevin Robinson told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Wednesday the Phoenix Police Department provides the best training in the nation.
“But it’s hard to defend from … the senseless violence toward police officers,” he said.
Robinson, chair of the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee, spent more than 35 years with the Phoenix Police Department, including over a decade as an assistant chief.
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“You train the best you can for almost anything, but you can’t figure out anything and everything that might happen to a police officer,” he said.
Officers did everything right before getting shot, councilman says
One officer was fighting for his life and another was in stable condition after Tuesday night’s shooting near 16th Street and McDowell Road, police said.
Robinson, who was briefed about the incident, said the two officers “did everything they were supposed to do” before a suspect, 41-year-old Saul Bal, opened fire on them.
“The guy runs, they chase him. He stops, turns and just starts shooting, Robinson said.
Bal was arrested by other responding officers and booked into jail on two counts of attempted murder and other charges.
Phoenix Police see ‘mind-boggling’ amount of violence
Interim Chief Michael Sullivan said it was the 11th time a Phoenix officer was targeted by gunfire this year.
“The amount of violence that our officers are met with — on a daily basis, in a lot of cases — is, I would say, mind-boggling,” Robinson said. “But the unfortunate thing is, what Phoenix Police officers are facing is what police officers see across the nation.”
Robinson said that as a lawmaker, it’s his responsibility to make sure the police department gets the funding and training it needs to perform an “extremely difficult” job.
“The job is much tougher than what you see on television, and we have to, I believe, continue to show the utmost support for our police officers, our police departments, get behind them at every turn, make sure they know that we are with them,” he said.
