Over the past few years, law enforcement around the country has taken a great deal of criticism from the left. The Black Lives Matter movement not only clashed with police, but they called for law enforcement all around the country to be defunded. The Democrats praised the BLM movement and even suggested drastic changes in how police departments interact with the public. But through all the heated debates, police officers continue to hold the line between anarchy and law and order. In Polk County, Florida, a 21-year-old sheriff’s deputy sadly paid the ultimate price while on duty on Tuesday morning.

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According to Sheriff Grady Judd, the police officer was with three other deputies as they tried to serve a warrant at a trailer home in Foxtown South. The individual failed to appear in court over methamphetamine charges. While no one appeared to be home, after gaining entry into the trailer, an individual opened fire on the officers. The deputy reportedly returned fire.

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Sheriff Judd recalled the heroics of the trauma center and the Lakeland Regional Medical Center for doing everything to save the officer, but he eventually passed away. The Sheriff didn’t give too many details about the incident, explaining, “We want the information that we have to relay to get to the immediate family members and the work-family members before we broadcast it on social media or traditional media.”

Just a few days ago, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis discussed crime in the state after Hurricane Ian. Warning thieves using the tragedy to their advantage, DeSantis said, “They boarded up all the businesses, and there are people that wrote on their plywood, ‘you loot, we shoot.’ At the end of the day, we are not going to allow lawlessness to take advantage of this situation. We are a law-and-order state, and this is a law-and-order community, so do not think that you’re going to go take advantage of people who’ve suffered misfortune.”

Florida’s Attorney General Ashley Moody shared the same thoughts on criminals and looters in the state, saying, “Florida will not tolerate looters taking advantage of [Hurricane Ian] to prey on vulnerable Floridians. They will be arrested, and I have asked state attorneys to seek the longest pretrial detention possible to keep them locked up so they cannot commit new crimes.”

The state’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis insisted, “You have these predators that will come in, and they will go door-to-door canvassing neighborhoods that they see the damage, and they will sign over their [insurance] claims to contractors, or they will have unscrupulous public adjusters … that are going to damage your ability to get made whole any faster.” He concluded, “This will be the best way to ensure that your claim is being handled properly, and my office, we love handling people’s claims, we do a great job at it.”