Officers need legal backup

Disrespect for law enforcement needs to be addressed loudly and repeatedly by our elected leaders.

On Friday, two Falmouth police officers — Ryan Moore and Donald DeMiranda — were shot while responding to a disturbance call. When officers pursued the suspect, 21-year-old Malik Koval, two of his relatives allegedly got involved and are now charged with interfering with police officers.

Thankfully, both officers will recover, but they are very lucky. DeMiranda was wounded in the shoulder. His vest stopped a second bullet. Moore was grazed in the neck.

Obviously, the compulsion to kill law enforcement officers is vile, and we can hope those who do so are met with harsh punishment in the criminal justice system.

That others would get involved on behalf of the suspect shows a complete disdain for the police.

Many elected leaders have been quick to condemn law enforcement in a slew of highprofile cases in recent years. This is complemented by the anti-police theme in a lot of popular music and a broader cultural embrace of movements that portray police as the enemy.

It is safe to assume that such a confluence would have an effect on society’s perception of police.

We must push back against this, at once.

Police have an often thankless job. We’ve lost too many.

Gov. Baker’s push for the death penalty for cop killers is a move in the right direction. It may not get anywhere, but the law enforcement community needs to know the political leadership is behind them.

At the very least, we need to teach young people to respect those who protect us. Everyone has a part in this.