SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Protect and serve is the motto of law enforcement, but it's getting harder for them to abide by it when they can't even protect themselves.
In 2019, Sgt. Jason Boesdorfer with the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office said there were more than 100 line of duty deaths of law enforcement officials across the United States.
Forty-six of those officers were gunned down, meaning there was one death nearly every week of the year.
"From the time that you went to the academy, officer safety and always making it home at night has always been driven home," Boesdorfer said.
Sgt. Boesdorfer has been serving in law enforcement for more than 20 years.
"Twenty-two years ago, if you had negative interpretations of law enforcement, it's because you got a speeding ticket," Boesdorfer said. "Whereas today, the trend we see is people being more upset with law enforcement in general on how they police and who they police."
He said during the past few decades, the climate toward police officers has changed.
"I don't ever remember thinking 22 years ago, walking out of the sheriff's office that I would get hit by gunfire walking to my car," Boesdorfer said. "We see that happening today."
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said he thinks the public is becoming desensitized.
"They see it so much. They see it on their phones every day. They see it on the news," Campbell said. "It's very disheartening. It's tragic. The people that provide the blanket for security for the entire nation are the ones being targeted."
Campbell said it's all about building trust in the community.
"We have to prove it every day, every call, that we can be trusted," Campbell said.
Though the climate may be changing, Campbell said his reason for wearing the uniform has not.
"I want to help people. It truly is a calling for people who have been doing it for so long," Campbell said. "We're that insulation between good and evil. Law enforcement are the ones that run toward a situation when everyone else is running away from it."
