WASHINGTON.- Thirty people shot, two of them fatally, at a party in Baltimore. At least three dead and 10 injured at an annual celebration for the USA Independence Day in Louisiana. A 7-year-old boy who was shot to death in Tampa after a fight between two groups who gathered along an overpass to celebrate Independence Day. Nine other people injured in a drive-by shooting in the nation’s capital.
A series of shootings occurred while the US celebrated Independence Day is raising fears in communities across the country and highlighting the challenges police face in preventing this type of violence as temperatures rise and the festivities move outside. Policing these kinds of events is a delicate balance for police forces, who must balance the right of people to assemble against the threat of violence that hangs over public and private spaces in a country riddled with guns.
“In many ways their hands are tied because these types of acts often take place on private property and people may not do anything to break the law until someone pulls out a gun and starts shooting,” Tom said. Nolan, who was a Boston police officer for nearly three decades. “So can the police do anything to stop it? I just think it’s an extraordinary challenge to be everywhere at all times and anticipate things that none of us expect.”
Violence often escalates during the summer, when teens are out of school and there are more social events that can quickly turn deadly when tempers flare. Curfews for youth and increased police presence on the streets are some of the strategies that cities have historically used to try to combat violence during this time of year.
Police can prepare for parades and other big annual events by monitoring social media conversations in advance, requiring officers to be present at permitted events, and changing their coverage plans based on how many people are expected and when. Ideally, the police would work with communities that want that protection.
But it is impossible for the police to monitor all parties or Christmas gatherings. The holidays can also result in police departments being short-staffed over holiday weekends and the summer months, which means calls for loud music and other disturbances can be delayed while the police deal with more important matters. Urgent, Nolan said.
“At the time when their services are most in demand, they are much more overwhelmed than they would like to admit publicly,” said Nolan, who was a shift commander in the patrol division.
Gun violence that erupted this week in Washington, DC, Louisiana, Florida, Philadelphia, Texas and Baltimore left more than a dozen dead and nearly 60 injured, including children as young as 2.
