Retired cop laments lack of respect for police: ‘Officers aren’t safe’

Traffic stops are always unpredictable, says Wilbur Chapman
Says policing in a noble, but dangerous, profession
If officers aren’t safe, ‘none of us in society are safe’

Updated: Mar 30, 2024 / 08:51 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — The death of New York City Police Officer Jonathan Diller is a major tragedy and an attack on the greater society, according to one veteran cop.

“If it turns out that police officers aren’t safe, none of us in society are safe,” says retired NYPD Chief Wilbur Chapman.

He told “NewsNation Prime” that traffic stops, like the one that led to Diller’s death, are always unpredictable.

“You know there’s a vehicle, but you don’t know what the occupants in the vehicle are capable of. You don’t know whether you’re approaching a car (that) has a suspected criminal … or someone who’s just going home from work,” he said.

Chapman noted that Officer Diller was posthumously promoted. “Detective First Grade Jonathan Diller, who paid the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

Chapman joined the NYPD in 1968 and rose to Chief of Patrol. His post-NYPD career included leading the New York City Department of Transportation as Commissioner and Chief of Police in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

But he laments the “general disregard” many people have for the government and the police.

“Policing is a noble profession. It is a dangerous profession,” he said. “And people who have no respect for the law, have no respect for other human beings.”