LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles police officers were attacked by suspects 527 times in 2008, a decline from the two previous years, the Los Angeles Police Protective League announced Monday.
Between Jan. 1 and Dec. 23, police officers were assaulted by suspects with deadly weapons in 168 cases -- 14 of which involved firearms -- and were physically assaulted 358 times, according to the police union's data. SWAT Officer Randy Simmons was also shot and killed during a standoff in February.
"These are not exchanges of gunfire between criminals and officers," said LAPPL President Paul M. Weber. "These are cold-blooded attempts to murder unsuspecting officers without any warning."
In 2007, there were 635 attacks on officers, including a May Day clash with demonstrators at a rally in MacArthur Park. Two years ago, officers were attacked 624 times.
"The LAPPL asks the public and our community leaders to continue to support our officers and make sure that criminals do not deter them from doing their work to make Los Angeles the safest big city in America," Weber said in a statement.
