Common sense will tell you that people kill police officers to prevent being arrested.  My research shows this is true for 75% of the line-of-duty deaths due to firearms for the past two years.  What about the other 25%?  

Since October 2012, I have been working on research involving fifty cop-killers to test a theory that I have developed.  I believe that it is possible that cop-killers are innately human after all and can be understood from a clinical and sociological examination.  They can't all be sociopaths.  I will not defend their actions, which are brutal crimes.  But, perhaps-- if we take the time to look at all the data-- we will learn that they are driven by certain factors that have already been identified by other experts in psychology and criminology.  I believe these factors are based on their life experiences, maturity (age), and phase of life.

Let me give an example: psychologist Erik Erikson believed that life could be examined as a series of struggles.  For adolescents (age 12-18), the struggle is to develop a clear sense of identity.  Failure to do so results in role confusion.  The adolescent asks: who am I and what do I believe in?  They try on roles, hair colors and groups of friends with conflicting values.   If they cannot figure it out, they cannot progress to adulthood.  

What about teen cop-killers?  Did their acts of violence in police stem, in part, from the basic struggle of all human beings to understand who they are and how they fit into the world in this difficult phase of life?  Each of the six teen cop-killers in my study was a member of a street gang.  How did this inform the development of their identity?  

Likewise, Erikson defines that the struggle for young adults is to develop successful relationships with other people, including romantic affiliations and friendships.  The young adult asks: who can I love and who will love me?  Would it surprise you to learn that most cop-killers in this age group were involved in a disastrous or obsessive relationship that was imploding just before they chose to commit a murder of a police officer?  It's true, and this information can help police better understand what kinds of factors reported to police while enroute to a call can help them anticipate a dangerous confrontation.

Can a closer examination of cop-killers reveal anything about their motivations?  I believe the answer is yes, and I plan to share my findings in my new book on cop-killers.

I attended a police funeral today for a Prince William County officer.  The fallen officer's name was Chris Yung, and he was a far better person than I will ever be.  The tribute that the thousands who attended were privileged to witness was one of the best I have ever seen.  It was a remarkable tribute.  Those who knew and loved Chris did him an honor today in the sharing of their experiences, hopes, and memories of this incredible young officer.  I never had the privilege of meeting him, but I am deeply saddened by his passing.

Chris was killed on December 31st when a mini-van turned left in front of his police motorcycle on a divided roadway in front of a shopping center in Bristow, VA.  He was on his way to help others who were involved in an unrelated accident.  The intersection where Chris was killed is a high-traffic area for left turns that is a common destination for many who live in our neck of the woods-- a strip mall anchored by a Target store and filled with restaurants, a Chik-Fil-A, and clothing stores.  Going to this shopping center will never be the same for any of us.   

On New Year's Day, my family and I went by the site to see it for ourselves.  We saw the gouge marks on the roadway that indicated a serious crash had happened.  We also saw the bouquets of flowers accumulating at the corner, where a small memorial to Chris had begun to take shape, dominated by a white cross with his name.   As we watched with our young son, a lone off-duty cop park his unmarked car nearby.  Cops can always spot one another in plainclothes-- it takes one to know one.   He approached the memorial and crouched to place his bouquet on the pile of the others.  Fresh flowers for the recently departed, symbolizing the fleeting nature of our lives.   He stood for a few moments at the site, saying a silent prayer and, I'm certain, asking why.

Today, his brothers and friends spoke about his sense of honor, small and large acts of kindness and his bountiful joy for life and passion for police work.  He leaves behind a wife, who is a former police officer, and three young children.  Truly, the world is a lesser place because he is gone.

Officers killed in the line of duty are more than just statistics.  They are real human beings who deserve to be remembered.  They are the best of us.  They deserve the opportunity to shape our futures, with the lives they led, and even with their deaths.  Chris was a loving and devoted father, brother, son and husband.  He was an outstanding police officer who did not deserve to die.  I want to thank his family for allowing us the opportunity to hear his story and share their grief.  We will never forget him.