SAN ANTONIO – There have been 33 officer-related shootings involving the San Antonio Police Department the past three years. Two more occurred earlier this week, both ending in deaths. it’s a trend that shows no sign of slowing down.
Might video games be a factor?
Law enforcement officials are feeling vulnerable in the wake of a violent five days that also featured a third shooting by a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy.
“It just seems like it’s more and more dangerous than it’s ever been,” said Shad Prichard, Hollywood Park’s chief of police. “It seems like there is this undertow of people that are not supporting law enforcement.”
The numbers support that argument.
“144 officers lost their lives last year,” Prichard said. “You can feel the numbers. I can feel it in the atmosphere. I can feel it here in Bexar County. in Houston and Dallas and Texas as a state. “
Shad Prichard, Hollywood Park police chief (SBG photo)
One reason cited for the spike in violent interactions is the popularity of video games. As more people participate in violent electronic games, officials speculate the result is an uptick in bad behavior.
“A prudent person would take a look at these games and see how violent they are and how easy it is to shoot people in a game and then you get rewarded for how many people that you kill,” Prichard said.
“It cannot be a good thing for our society.”
Call of Duty Black Ops 4 was one of the most popular video games in 2018. (Courtesy photo)
In addition to the three recent shootings, another high-profile incident occurred in late January.
Officers shot Matthew Mireles on Jan. 26. He had fatally shot K-9 officer Chucky, a 5-year-old Belgian Malinois, following a chase.
K-9 officer Chucky, who was shot and killed earlier this year (Courtesy photo).
