thank you all for watching. that's our last show for the year. thank you all for staying with us. we'll see you next sunday and next year when the next revolution will be televised. the nation outraged by videos

that went viral over the summer in new york city. th houring objects at the men and women in blue patrolling the streets. in philadelphia, onlookers caught on tape taunting officers, engaged in an active standoff with a gunman who shot a policeman. what's driving all of this. some say they feel like police are targeting them. plus one man's inspiring journey to recover after being severely wounded in the line of duty. edin this network exclusive. he and his family are here to share their story. but not all injuries from the job are visible to the eye. shocking statistics about depression, ptsd and suicide. known as the silent killer among the rank and file.

the nationwide effort to protect thosee who have sworn to protect us. town hall america, police emergency starts now. [applause] >> what a great audience. my team and i assembled some great people to be here. the national vice president of the fraternal order of police, the largest police union in america. and new york state assemblyman, a republican who introduced legislation in july that would make it a felony to attack cops with water or any other substance.wa gentlemen, thanks for being here. i want to start with a very

basic question. joe, with so many at the foc, are police in fact under attack? >> absolutely, 100% we are under attack. there is a police officer shot in this country every 29 hours. we have had 241 police officers shot. a 24% increase since last year. we are seeing these viral incidents. in the nypd we had officers with buckets of water thrown on them. we have police officers in philadelphia responding to where their fellow brothers and officers were shot and they are being laughed sat and screamed at when they are responding to one of their brothers and sisters being murdered. in houston someone took an instagram post of pointing a gun at a police officer.

kamalhar. it's part of a largerring conversation, anti-cop rhetoric. >> you are seeing the left wing democrats from the candidates running on the democrat line on down that seasoned the death knell on the ask communities and the police. reporter: you wouldn't think of police officers as igniting anything political. but we are in such a politically charged environment. we havee seen the president tackle criminal justice reform. we are seeing democrats talk about it on the presidential trail. this week they were at a forum and here is bernie sanders when he was asked by a young black

man about how to deal with police officers. this is how bernie sanders answers. >> h if i am your son, what adve would you give me the next time i am pulled over by you a police officer. >> i respect what they are doing so you don't get shot in the back of the head. i would be very cautious. if you were my son in terms of dealing with that police officer. but also defend my rights and know my rights. reporter: that's tough. so t what do you do with your police officers. >> let me say bernie sanders is a complete joke. everybody in this room knows it and everybody in this country knows it. here is what's doing. build a bridge with the u community. people like bernie sanders are tearing the bridge down on the other side. the statistics don't support things like what bernie sanders is saying.

there was a study on all police shootings and found 99% of the time the person who was shot was armed with a weapon and there was no shootings. reporter: the tough thing in all this, there have been incidents in recent history. you and i talked earlier on the phone about ferguson, missouri. i want to get your take on where we are in some of those instances. but it taints everything. >> what we are seeing is we are having politicians cast a broad brush. instead isolating a few instances, instead they wish to denounce police as a whole. these are men and women in the community. part of their mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers.

they only want to do one thing, serve and protect their communities. reporter: we have a lot of rank and filee police in the audien. ralph freedman, a former nypd detective. you have some strong feeling from the videos that went viral this summer. >> they make me sick when i watch them. it's supposed to be a liberal agenda put out by the politicians, especially in new york city and new york state, they are letting cop killers out of jail. they are changing laws. they are not enforcing quality of life. they are handcuffing police. the state should be happy they have men and women willing to do this job, that train very well, with great technology, but they are being handcuffed and blindfolded. you do your job, and you lose

your benefits and maybe go to jail. but we sued. >> anything you want to say to our audience? >> we have police officers who are going out there doing their job every single day, putting their lives on the line for their communities. communities they love. andut then they have their actis second guessed at every step. what we need is the leaders in law enforcement come across this country, i'm talking about police chiefs and flips commissioners, get off their asses and push bark on the rhetoric and false narratives that have been dominating the narrative. we need all hands on deck. [applause] reporter: when you and i spoke earlier you mentioned another kind of effect. you called it the ferguson effect. i want to you talk about that for a second.

>> ferguson was a false narrative. hands up, don't shoot never happened. obama's justice department said that. theybo cleared the officer of al wrongdoing. there was no hands up, don't shoot. butt it carried on. now it's carried. so every time there is a police involved shooting of course it goes viral and there are journalists out there, and i pause to call them journalists because i'm not quite sure they are. but they write click bait headlines to paint law enforcement asy the bad guys. they need to have object test whed -- they need to have objectivity. >> it needs to be a felony tore throwing any substance on a police officer. >> in order to restore civility

in our society you can't tolerate incivility. when i saw people dumping water on our officers, that means our communitiesaw are less safe. nobody wants that regardless of race, color, creed or origin. reporter: thank you. thank you for starting off the conversation. let's get everybody involved in a show of hands. how many of you in our studio feel the tension today between the police and their communities is at the highest levels in decades? even the guests on set are raising their hands. we need to talk about this. we need to talk about this and i am glad you are all here. it's a word that keeps coming up on social media. i heard you saying it. it's trust. one texas police department is looking to rebuild trust after

one of its white police officers shote a black come and inside hr own home. this raises questions about training and recruiting top-level talent. a police officer shot in the head by a burglary suspect is beating the odds. they traveled here from missouri to tell america their story. as we head to break. a prayer and memory, we remember the 33 men and women in blue killed by gunfire so far this year.. apparently we come from a long line of haberdashers. we chose eleanor. it was great-grandma's name. so we're in this little town near salerno and everyone has dad's eyebrows. help your family discover their unique story,

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my whole body is a compass. oh boy... the my account app makes today's xfinity customer service simple, easy, awesome. not my thing. harris: this is "town hall america police emergency." in life one moment can change everything, if you even survive it. a police officer in missouri knows it all too well. now want you to know his incredible c story of courage, strength and unmatched will to

survive. >> when he was shot -- harris: officer o'connor was transported a suspected burglar. during the trip the suspect shot him in the back of the head. the bullet shattered the officer's skull and left the father of four hospitalized for what looked like indefinitely. >> we didn't know if he was going to be able to do anything again. it's been real hard on the kids. it's really hard still. it's a big adjustment. harris: ryan underwent intensive rehabilitation in colorado where he made rapid progress and survived the o of weeks ryan managed to stand up on his own.

and in a few more weeks he surprised his stepson by showing up at his high school graduation. eventually all that hard work and faith paid off. ryanan little by little began walking. ladies and gentlemen, please welcome ryan o'connor and his wife barbara. [applause] harris: your four sons are here as well.

the brothers 8 and are having snacks in the green room. ryan, did you ever think this is where you would be object a night like this? >> no. it was -- i can't describe it. harris: a long journey, i know. barbara? how did you find out what happened to ryan? >> our two youngest sons and i were out christmas shopping, and we wereas driving in the town where ryan was working. and the road was closed. i suddenly saw an ambulance turn directly in front of me. and something in my heart told me it was him inside.

i sent a text message to him and said please tell me you are okay and i didn't get a response. harris: he survived, but your life changed forever. you were in that hospital, and you are still visiting centers across the country to get help. ways your journey now. >> every day was focusing on the moment. we have to be grateful for every minute. he does something spectacular almost every g day, and we are just grateful and focus honor day. harris: ryan, spectacular began a long time ago for you. you chose to protect and serve. why did you want to be an officer? it's okay. i know this is tough. >> it just -- honorable, and

doing the right thing, and all of the above. and it's just -- it's just thrilling, i guess. harris: i know you have your children with you. and you and barbara told me your journey to this point. what is something you would want to say to your boys at this point? >> thank you for sticking by us and for everything you do for both of us every day for keeping our family together. we are very proud of you. harris: with youer work with an organization that was put together by actor gary sinise. weur have pictures of a special home they are building for you. i want you to tell me what is needed to get through this and what kind of needs are being met across the country that you want to let other people know about.

>> the gary sinise foundation approached us. when i initially received the phone call i thought it was for well wishes. when they told us they wanted to build us a smart home for ryan. i was speechless. thatat journey and planning this home has been aplais mazing. the things they are putting into this home for ryan will help him regain his independence and give him back his dignity. showering, grooming, getting dressed. making a meal. all things we do every day without thinking about it. it's challenging for him and this home will change that. harris: i want to draw attention to the 33 men and would even who were kid by gunfire in 019.

good to see you tonight, boys. >> we are proud of you, and we couldn't ask for a better role model. he has been the person i have looked up to my whole life. that's why i have been in the police explorer program for five years. he's always been a rock in the family. to see him go through something so difficult and come out of it so strong is inspiring and it motivates me to have the same character he does. harris: wow. a legacy point of service. [applause] harris: barbara and ryan, thank you for making the journey from arnold, missouri. we have spoken about this city before. you started out previously were a police officer in ferguson, missouri. >> yeah.

arnold. then it's ferguson, and then arnold. harris: thank you for being such a great example. the boys are lovely. >> thank you. harris: you may want to know how you can make a difference. building homes for people like ryan o'connor. go to garysinise.com.

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♪ [applause] harris: this is "town hall america police emergency." the fort worth police department is looking to rebuild trust after a police officer shot a black woman in her own home after a wellness check. that came three weeks after a

former dallas police officer was sentenced for murder for killing a black man in his home. it raises questions about whether police departments are having trouble recruiting top-level talent. joining us, a former police lieutenant and criminal justice professor. let's start with the lack of trustt and what drives that. >> the police-community relationship should be symbiotic, not separated. we need to devise strategies that work for the community the police department is serving. if we look at the situation that just happened in texas. it sets for a black eye. but that's a minute component of what the officer-cit year.

all we see is whenever something goes wrong with police. but the truth of the matter is we are getting better at this. but professional development should be evolving in the process. harris: that's a very balanced look at it. you go into community and you are doing the same things. what are you seeing that's working, and what do you do to build trust. you come from chicago and the murder statistics are rough. >> the trust has to be there but at t the same time there is a lt of distrust because once the officer is shooting on a murder, they cross the ts and dot the is. they put the paperwork there and the state attorney throws it back.s the community is upset. wema gave you the information

about our loved one, we gave you the footage. we know who killed them. but if the case is not there, the community is upset because they feel the detectives haven't done their work. but it's the state's attorney who has to protect all law enforcement acrossme america and standy by them. >> that's around and around you go in a circle. you and i spoke earlier. you said part of the problem is people then stopped helping cops because theyto figure what would the point be to turn in my neighbors. you say often they know who's doing the crime. >> some have lost their lives even after they have testified. the state's attorney has to step up and protect them. if the officer or detective gives his word. we'll relocate you. but if that trust is not there from theut state's attorney's office, what do you have?

nothing. harris:rr i don't want to get to much into politics. but looking at the demographics of the people serving in the state of illinois. you have some of the toughest gun laws. darren i see a thought bubble above your head. >> when you speak of gun laws. new york city, los angeles, chicago, have the toughest gun laws in the country. but look at the extreme violence you have with gun violence. the gun control is not working in those places. when we go back to the public trust between police and community, i can't speak to what happens in chicago. but what i do know is departments try to maintain a level of transparency as much as possible so citizens can understand and accept these police officers are here to help. look at the body cameras. if that's not transparency in law enforcement i don't know what is.

these body cameras have shown officers have done what they are supposed to do. in the past we see body cam and cell phone footage that shows only a snippet of what happened. but these body cams are showing what happened in the beginning, the midland and the end. harris: i want to get a quick show of hand. joe gamaldi is still here. is there something you would like to say to one of our guests? >> i think they hit the nail on the head. we have activist d.a.s and judges in our major cities. we have kim foxx in chicago, mosby in philadelphia. and i would think the left and the rightt can agree on this. they are not prosecuting gun crimes.

people committing aggravated robberies.ng we have over 1,000 people in houston on probation for aggravated robbery. that's the type of gun control we need. harris: andrew, he's giving you part of the same argument you are saying. it's a top down thing almost on the justice side. that sounds like a point of agreement. when you go into community in chicago, what are you telling people? >> when their case is not solved, i tell them, hey, go to the state's attorney's office where it's being thrown back. so many times if you have got 1 defendants in there on parole, and they walk out of bond court, there is a problem. there is a mistrust. therend is not too much of a mistrust with the community in is a mistrust with the state's attorney's office.ta

the state's attorneys are standing on what they got. the facts, the truth. harris: where is josh oliveri. you got reaction to the fort worth shooting. you say officers are not being defended. that they need more advocacy. >> absolutely. every crime is a tragedy, not every tragedy is a crime. what happened in fort worth is 100% a tragedy. when officer dean went to that house, he went to what he believed was a burglary scene. 2:30 in the morning, open door. everybody hop has worn a shield would say the same thing. when he sees the house in disarray, he thinks it's a burglary scene. even if you disagree with his tactics, by his own department's general orders, he followed what

he wasde supposed to do. general orders say every open door is supposed to be treated as a silent alarm and the officer's first job is to search for after knew ofs of escape before he searches the interior of that building. he goes around the side with what he believes is a burglary scene and he's met with somebody inside that home pointing a gun at him. everybody here who wear as shield would address that the same way. before the facts came out, his chief was in front after microphone saying his officer had no right to respond that way. and he's going to fire him even if he isn't arrested. if we are in a world where a uniformed police officer addressing a gun being pointed atic him is murderer. how are officers supposed to do

their jobs? >> i think due process is a natural order how things should pan out. i don't believe due process fully rolled out. public support -- people determined that this officer was in the wrong. so in essence, this officer was guilty in the court of law of turpitude. the individual needs to stand in front after court of law and his side should come out, and the sides of the opposing council should come out. we neat all the facts to come out before we can convict this officer in a court of public opinion. harris: i see you nodding so i know you i guys are talking to each other. that's what this is all about. gentlemen, thank you. andrew and darren. so glad to have you here. it's being called an epidemic.

more cops e die by suicide thann the line of duty. we'll drill down on why that's happening and why police departments are the trying to reach those who are too afraid order ashamed to ask for help. >> we want them to know seeking help is not a sign of weakness. it's a sign of courage. (male announcer) check out the after christmas sale

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officers have committed suicide. top brass at the nypd are calling it an epidemic. joining us, a clinical psychologist who counseled police, and retired nypd lieutenant commander joe cardinelli who personally knows five officers who have taken their own lives. why is this happening? >> it's a barrage of reasons. when you think of policing in america, the trials and the level of stress that they have to endure every day when they go out on calls for service. one thing that is critically important for us to take into account when we start talking about more now than ever suicide as it relates to police officers, we are talking about

cumulative stressors. any time you go to call after call after call, usual exposed to incidents the average person is never exposed to. you are exposed to those incidents on a daily basis. in addition you are talking about police officers how just like all of us. they are every day people who decided to become police officers. they have mortgages and children to put through college. and one thing we cannot overlook in all of this because there are so many variables that lead to all of this, some of us in our general population in this country are already predisposed to depression anyway. so that becomes an issue. har rrp deputy nypd commissioner robert ganley had this to say. >> my message is to come forward. don't believe thet stigma.

you can have a productive career if you come forward. we'll help you get on your feet and we'll help you be promoted or civil service exams in the police department. you can have a very product idea career. harris: it's important to get that message out from the commissioner's office. why is that happening? >> how it reaches the troops is another matter. the cops are under so much pressure. i can speak for new york city. 10 is astronomical as far as i am concerned. one is too many. people reaching out for help. that stigma is still there no matter what you say. let's go back to the locker room and the units people work in that they are close and tight knit. gee is here. where is joe, he's not here,

they took his guns away and he's going for psychological help. it's still a stigma. the commissioner is right, the help is there, but for the people i know who committed the suicides. we can't put a rhyme or reason for it. harris: kristen clifford is in the audience. her husband. killed himself in may of 2015. > my husband was an officer o died by suicide. it was 2017. we had no idea he was struggling. he was the happy guy, he was joke. he loved his job. by had something deep inside of him he was dealing with. he was afraid to come forward

and wouldn't talk to anybody because of the stigma. i was afraid even after it happened to talk about it. there is still that stigma attached to it. you can tell everybody to come forward. but until we change the culture and change the policies and make it a more normal thing. they are going to continue to struggle. we need to make it easier for them to talk about it and say it's okay. harris: we are watching police officers deal with mounting homelessness. the calls can be so unpredictable. as you say, so much pressure on them. thank you so have much. i am sorry for the loss of your colleagues. there is help. and it is anonymous. just reach out. if you are an officer in crisis, tallaller can remain anonymous

and there is no fever repercussions. my team and i reached out and talked to one of those retired officers. we wanted to vet this ourselves. from tv superman to real life hero. i will talk with my friend, a celebrity who did more than say something. he decided to do something when public sentiment turned against law enforcement. dean cain joins me. this is "town hall america" live from new york city. 're a festiv. we're a four-legged family. we're a get-up-and-go family. we're a ski family. we're all part of the chevy family.

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♪ [applause] harris: we know him as superman, but in real life actor dean cain wears a different kind of uniform. last year he was sworn in as a reserve police officer in st. anthony, idaho. he teaches children about online

predators and works to make public school safer. he said when loud public sentiment turned against law enforcement he had to do something about it. my friend and police officer dean cain. >> first of all, this is a wonderful thing you are doing with all of these real-life heroes.oi i play one on tv. you all are real-life heroes. you have my utmost respect and thank you for doing this. harris: you stepped up and took your task force to a small town in idaho. >> you hear this public sentiment against law enforcement. i heard it the last few years and it blew my mind. so many people who are first responders. the people in this room are heroes and they should be respected and supported.

and i wasn't seeing that. i wasn't seeing people step up. who do you call when you have a problem?py you call 911 and they will show up and do their jobs. they are heroes. i thought i needed to step up and lead by example. harris: who among you in the audience will be willing to share a story about why you joined the police force. your name? >> james. when i was a young man i recognized how the community respected the police and my family was very respectful of the police. harris: r is there anything you want to say to that gentleman over there? >> i feell the same way as you. i have great respect for law enforcement. it was drilled into me when i was a young man. i want to make sure my son has

the same respect for law enforcement. he sees them on the street or sees them in a coffee shop he goes up to them and says thank you for your service as opposed to denying them a coffee in starbucks. thatst was instilled in me as a young man and we are passing it on to the next generation. harris: you look at america, and you have been in that squad car in iowa. what do you see? >> when you travel outside the united states, and a lot of people inside the united states don't do that. youze realize how good we have t here. this is the greatest country in the world bar none by a long-shot. the rights and the freedoms that we have here, you don't have those in other countries. i y just got back in from being7 weeks out of the country and i wanted toi kiss the ground. i love what i do, but i wanted

to kiss the ground being here in america. i hear much more support on the street and talking to people thanng you see maybe in the med. i think there is tremendous support for our law enforcement. i will do my part and try to keep the good word going. >> i hope we have gotten to a place where weic can continue to talk about these things. in small town mayor today the suicide rate is rising among police officers. we need to start to talk to each other. i am glad you are here tonight. it was great to see you get sworn g in and take that step. this hour is especially important to me as a military brat. 19% of police officers in america are military veterans. i know what it's like to have a parent serving his nation when people doubt politics and the necessity of war. he served in vietnam. but i know why they do it.

for the protectors, we got you. thanks for watching "town hall america police emergency." it's a good start. good night. can you tell me that story again? behind every question is a story waiting to be discovered. this holiday, start the journey with a dna kit from ancestry. it's finally time for... geico sequels! classic geico heroes, starring in six new commercials, with jaw-dropping savings. vote for your favorites at: geico.com/sequels ahhh, which way do i go?! i don't know, i'm voting for our sequels.

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thanks for watching. see you next weekend in 2020