Cop shootings statistics and job stress on the rise

The number of police officers shot and killed last year rose dramatically. So did the number of assaults on cops and the stress under which they work.

That trend ought to concern every American because violence impacts our neighborhoods, schools and where we work and shop. Ask any realtor and they will tell you that safe streets and good schools are top of the mind among renters and home buyers.

“Officers Down,” the group sponsoring the national law enforcement memorial, reported that 140 officers died in the line of duty in 2016. Gunfire claimed 63. Of those fatally shot, 21 were killed in am...