The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) said on Tuesday that the Las Vegas shooting of two police officers and a civilian at the hands of suspected right-wing anti-government extremists, is part of a growing trend of right-wing extremists singling out police officers for unprovoked violence and bloodshed. Mark Pitcavage, ADL Director of Investigative Research stated in a press release, “The two police officers who lost their lives are only the latest in a series of casualties in a de facto war being waged against police by right-wing extremists, including both anti-government extremists and white supremacists.” “Some extremists have deliberately targeted police, while others have responded violently when meeting police in unplanned encounters.' Pitcavage continued, 'The killings are not the effort of a concerted campaign, but rather a series of independent attacks and clashes stemming from right-wing ideologies.” Jerad and Amanda Miller allegedly shot and killed Las Vegas Police Officers Alyn Beck and Igor Soldo and a civilian before taking their own lives on June 8. Investigations have surfaced Internet writings posted by Jerad and Amanda which paint the two as 'anti-government extremists of the “Patriot” movement variety,' according to the ADL. The most recent entry on Jerad Miller's Facebook page on June 7 read, “The dawn of a new day. May all of our coming sacrifices be worth it.” “Over the last several years law enforcement in the Las Vegas area have asked us to keep them informed and up-to-date on the growing threat of militia activity in Nevada,” said Phyllis Friedman, ADL Las Vegas Regional Director. “So the militia threat has been on their radar, and on ours. Our hearts go out to the officers' families during this devastating time.” In the past five years alone, according to ADL data, there have been 43 separate violent incidents between domestic extremists and law enforcement in the United States. “Extreme ideologies seem to provoke some right-wing radicals into directly attacking police officers,” said Pitcavage. “Anti-government extremists such as militia groups and sovereign citizens believe that police are agents of the illegitimate government, while white supremacists believe that police are tools of the 'Jewish-controlled' government. The same ideologies can cause extremists to act out violently when they randomly encounter police in routine situations.”
