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Officers Shot On Duty Double In One Year, But Sebastian County Deputies Feeling Comfortable

SEBASTIAN COUNTY (KFSM) — The amount of officers shot while on duty nearly doubled from 2015 to 2016. Nationwide, some feel unsafe patrolling the streets....

SEBASTIAN COUNTY (KFSM) -- The amount of officers shot while on duty nearly doubled from 2015 to 2016. Nationwide, some feel unsafe patrolling the streets. But here at home, Sebastian County deputies said they aren't feeling the tension.

"We don't have that environment," said Sebastian County Chief Deputy Hobe Runion, "we don't have that tension that we see portrayed on social media or national news."

But taking precautions to get through the day is still as necessary as a routine phone call.

"It's a chance we know that's there and it's always on the back of your mind," said Greenwood Sheriff Will Dawson, "But you just do your job and hopefully take the precautions to make it home that day."

Local officers say they feel safe, but the danger is present, and yet, they keep coming back.

"In my mind, I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't serving in some capacity. I'd find another way to serve, I guess. Whether it's volunteering or some other profession that I felt like gave something back."

Though Arkansas is among the top 15 states for number of police killings between 1974 and 2014 (according to the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund), the chance to give back is worth the risk to local law enforcement.

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