Rioting, looting, a wave of shootings—and, in its wake, an ever-mounting pile of corpses. Two-thousand-twenty was one of the most turbulent years in decades, as chaos swept through the streets of America's cities.
But against that chaos stood a thin blue line: the men and women in uniform who tirelessly faced the onslaught on the streets and in the halls of power. It's their unshirking commitment in the face of disorder that makes the police men of the year.
Their service started on the streets. In nearly 600 violent protests, black-bloc anarchists pummeled the police with rocks, bricks, frozen bottles, fireworks, poles, and bats. Over 2,000 officers were injured, including as many as 30 in one night. Nearly 200 officers have died in the line of duty, including from the coronavirus pandemic.
But they also stood strong against legislators, from Seattle socialists up to Nancy Pelosi, who tried to score points with progressive constituents by taking aim at the police. The liberal media cheered on the rioting, and Democrats made the police their personal punching bag.
But Americans know whose side they're on, which is why more than three in four express confidence in the cops. That's why Joe Biden had to tell his allies to shut up about police abolition—he knows it's a losing battle, fought against the American people.
For standing ever on that thin blue line, thank you to the police: You're Washington Free Beacon men of the year.