The dangers that police officers face in rural areas due to the lack Research Paper

The dangers that police officers face in rural areas due to the lack of back up or riding partners - Research Paper Example The personal safety and security of a rural police officer is a cause of stress to the police fraternity, as they are faced with isolation that poses great danger. The back- up required by an urban police officer is met with, almost instantly. Whenever the need arises, the urban police officer is assured of back-up within minutes. The same is not in the case of their rural counterparts because at most times there is the danger that relief comes when it is too late. In most cases it sometimes takes more than an hour to get help from back-up forces. This leads to stress on the part of the rural police officer even when they have to handle seemingly easy cases of domestic violence or auto crashes. A good example of this was an incident that took place on March 31st 1989, where help did not arrive in time and Maine State Police Detective Giles Landry was shot and killed after he responded to a call regarding a domestic dispute in a secluded spot in a rural area. When inspector Landry arrived at the scene of the crime, the suspects girlfriend made a beeline to the passenger seat of the detective’s patrol car, giving the suspect reason to believe that Detective Landry was indeed her lover because he was in an unmarked police car and moreover alone. The suspect had slowly approached the vehicle from the rear- end and shot at Landry twice through the window at the back, with a Ruger .44 caliber rifle, hitting Detective Giles Landry in the head, putting an end to him instantly. Immediately after this, the suspect shot at his girlfriend killing her on the spot and soon after that committed suicide himself. The detective officer had left behind a wife and their two children. There are countless such cases taking place especially in the rural areas, where unsuspecting police personnel are at the mercy of dangerous criminals. Such a dangerous situation could have been averted had the officer