Another law enforcement officer has been killed in the line of duty while performing a routine highway traffic stop, this time in the state of Michigan.
The Michigan State Police announced in a Facebook post Wednesday night that Trooper Joel Popp had “passed away as a result of injuries sustained after being struck on a traffic stop”.
Trooper Popp, 39 leaves behind a wife and young daughter, per Fox News. The Popps also served as foster parents for local youth.
MLive reports that this is the second time this month that Michigan State Police Officers were hit by a passing motorist, with the previous incident occurring on January 11th when “two deputies were struck by a vehicle while conducting a traffic stop on westbound I-69, near Hadley Road.”
Law enforcement and first responders regularly lay their lives on the line to protect their communities, and they deserve to be operated around with an increased level of caution. That is not only common decency, but the law in all 50 states.
Per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA),
“Traffic-related incidents continue to be the leading cause of death among on-duty law enforcement officers. Over the last five years, about 100 crashes involved a driver hitting and killing a law enforcement officer.”
All 50 states have laws in place to protect law enforcement and first responders, but “one-third of Americans are not aware of these laws,” the NHTSA also notes.
The driver who struck Popp on the side of the highway was 81 years old.
