“Local law enforcement officers are walking on egg shells because they’re so hesitant of how to interact because of what’s taking place in the media,” police Sgt. Heath Boackle told the NY Daily News.
The Daily News reported:
“The Birmingham detective, whose name has not yet been released, paused while a suspect attacked him during a traffic stop because he feared the country-wide backlash he might receive for killing a black man, the head of the local police union said Friday.”Pistol-whipped Alabama cop didn’t shoot attacker for fear of making headlines: union
. . . "The detective, a six-year veteran on the force, had hesitated before Cunningham dealt the devastating blow, even as the suspect was quickly inching closer, the union president said.
"If the officer would have pulled his weapon, we would be talking about a totally different story," Boackle said. "They're so afraid that what's going to be portrayed of them isn't going to be the whole truth of the encounter."
"Cunningham — who has a violent criminal history, including an assault conviction in 2006 — initially fled the scene, but he was quickly caught and charged with attempted murder in the attack.
He appeared in court Tuesday, but his hearing was postponed because he didn't have an attorney, WBRC reported.
"The deputy, who suffered a concussion, is recovering at home after being treated at UAB Hospital, said Boackle, a 19-year veteran with the Birmingham Police Department." . . .
Last week a picture of the Birmingham, Alabama, detective went viral of him laying unconscious on the ground. Police and civil people around the nation were horrified to see images of the bleeding officer being celebrated on social media.
“Pistol whipped his ass to sleep,” one Facebook user had written
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