BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Another night spent in the emergency room with fellow officers has Cincinnati's Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) president issuing a warning to criminals: Police will fight back if they are assaulted. FOP President Keith Fangman spent Tuesday night at University Hospital visiting an officer stabbed in the head and another who was kicked.
Earlier Tuesday, a courthouse brawl broke out in which sheriff's deputies and other officers were attacked by suspects angry over sentencing in a beating case. And Wednesday, another city officer was punched in the face during an arrest.
"The general consensus is we knew what we were getting into when we took this job," Officer Fangman said, "but there's a feeling among the troops that the high number of assaults against police officers in this city is spinning out of control."
In the last six years, city police have been physically attacked 1,500 times and shot at 45 times.
While the number of assaults is not dramatically increasing, "people are much more aware of the dangers of the job in light of recent tragedies," police spokesman Lt. Tim Schoch said, referring to the deaths of two officers in December and incidents in February in which two other officers were shot at.
While officers are grateful for community support, a minority of criminals have made it open season on police, Officer Fangman said.
Officers Guy Abrams and Eli Orth were cut, bitten and kicked Tuesday while trying to arrest a suspect in Mount Airy.
"Violent criminals in this city need to realize that there weren't just two police officers put in the hospital last night," Officer Fangman warned Wednesday."There was a third person. That person was the thug that stabbed the District 5 police officer in the back of the head."
The officers and the suspect, Jerry Morgan, 20, were treated for minor injuries. Mr. Morgan is expected to be arraigned today on charges of assault on a police officer, felonious assault and resisting arrest.
Mr. Morgan's girlfriend, Decemberly Lovell, 20, cried at her appearance Wednesdayin Hamilton County Municipal Court, where she pleaded not guilty to two counts each of assault on a police officer and obstructing justice.
She allegedly slammed Officer Abrams' left shoulder and kicked both officers in the lower torso.
A suspect in a separate assault is expected to appear in court today. Michael Maupins is accused of punching Officer Darren Smith in the face during an arrest Wednesday in Clifton.
Officer Fangman said the assaults are eating away at officers. "I'm a firm believer in the concept of the thin blue line. And we're seeing chunks being taken out of that thin blue line on almost a daily basis."
The message from police is that they will protect themselves, he said. "We're not going to make any apologies when violent criminals attack us and we have to use reasonable force to get them under control."
