A former California sheriff’s deputy, who left law enforcement after a brutal attack by a suspect, has issued a stark caution to prospective law enforcement officers, stating that the profession “isn’t worth it.”
Meagan McCarthy departed from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department in 2022 following an incident where she was assaulted by a suspect who severely beat her and subsequently gained control of his firearm, shooting her.
McCarthy recounted that the individual responsible for the 2019 attack, Ari Young, was acquitted of charges of attempted murder and assault due to a reform in the state’s jury selection process that permitted individuals with a stated bias against law enforcement to serve on the jury.
Now, the former officer is advising anyone contemplating a career in law enforcement to think twice, citing a lack of legislative protection for officers.
“It would be really difficult for me to go and serve the institutions of law enforcement, just because the politicians, the elected officials, our leaders don’t support us,” McCarthy told Fox News. “I don’t think this job is worth it. With what happened to me, with a suspect trying to murder me, and then the criminal justice system, the California court system, and our California legislators, none of them in the last five years, I’ve seen it, does not support you.
“You have to worry that these leaders will succeed you years from now,” she said. “We see all these crazy, woke prosecutors opening cases years later.”
Police departments across the country have struggled to recruit new officers in recent years.
Following widespread calls for reforms that swept the country following the killing of George Floyd, many departments have seen their funding cut.
Many police officers believe that legislatures have become “soft on crime,” making their jobs harder to do and leaving them unprotected.
“It’s really hard to say why anyone should become a police officer these days,” McCarthy said. “Now you have to worry about your livelihood. Will my family be able to pay a mortgage if something happens to me later?”
When a jury acquitted his attacker, McCarthy said the justice system had not only failed him, but also set a “damaging” precedent for police officers and victims everywhere.
“Not only did I lose my job when the suspect tried to execute me, but my career was also destroyed and I can no longer contribute to our bills,” she said.
On September 4, 2019, a disturbing incident was captured on video as Meagan McCarthy responded to a domestic dispute call at a residence on Cabazon Ct. in Victorville. The former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy had arrived in response to a distressed mother’s plea to remove her son from the home.
McCarthy and Ari Young, who suffers from schizophrenia, were observed grappling, during which Young repeatedly punched McCarthy in the face and head. McCarthy fell to the ground, at which point Young seized her firearm and attempted to shoot her. Despite multiple shots fired by Young as McCarthy tried to flee, she fortunate
“If my boys or my daughter came to me and said, ‘Mom, I want to be a cop,’ I would give them every reason not to be one. I was very proud to be a cop,” she said. “I love serving the community and I just wish law enforcement was able to swing the pendulum back for them.”
