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“These officers could have easily been killed, and I thank God we’re not planning three funerals right now.”
-Phoenix Police Chief, Joe Yahner

Earlier this month, BridgeBuilders co-hosted a 24-Hour Prayer Watch for the Phoenix Police Department, a time of praying for the safety and protection of our officers.

And we’re so grateful to the Lord for answering these prayers…

Just last week, three Phoenix police officers were targeted in an unprovoked, violent attack that could have resulted in their deaths, when a man intentionally smashed into two officers with his car and assaulted a third outside a Phoenix convenience store.

The harrowing security footage of this event makes it clear that it’s a miracle none of the officers were killed or permanently disabled!

As Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner said, “They were very thankful that God was watching them and they’re OK.”

One officer was run over and suffered a broken leg while the other was flipped eight feet into the air and sustained a head injury.

The third officer was able to jump out of the way but sustained some injuries during the extended struggle with the suspect.

“We have all heard about officers being targeted and ambushed across this nation. But this happened here! This happened to your Phoenix police officers.”
-Joe Yahner, Police Chief of the Phoenix Police Department

In light of this attack and the daily dangers our law enforcement face, please continue to pray for strength and God’s angelic protection for them.

195 Arrested in Major Bust of Arizona Gangs

We praise God that only days after the 24-hour Prayer Watch, the US Marshals Service arrested 195 violent career criminals and gang members in Arizona as part of a two-month multi-agency investigation called “Operation Summer Burn.”

Fugitives wanted for the following crimes were arrested:

2 homicide suspects
25 sex offenses/sexual assault suspects
25 aggravated assault suspects
85 dangerous drug offenders
16 robbery suspects
17 firearm related offenses
22 violent crimes suspects
48 of the suspects arrested were associated with criminal street gangs

“(This) was an enforcement initiative designed to target and reduce gang activity and violent crime in the heart of Phoenix,” said U.S. Marshal David Gonzales.

In addition to the US Marshals Service, the Phoenix, Glendale, Surprise and Chandler police departments were all involved in the investigation with assistance from the Department of Public Safety, Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, and Arizona Department of Corrections.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, we thank You for sparing the lives of those three officers that were targeted last Tuesday and we are grateful that they have been released from hospital!

• We pray for the continued protection of all law enforcement officers who serve in Arizona including city or tribal police, county sheriffs, highway patrol, US Marshals, state troopers, FBI, DEA, and border patrol. We ask You to protect them from car accidents, assault, or ambush attacks.
• We thank You for the successful arrests of nearly two hundred violent gang members and fugitives. We pray for their successful prosecution and also that You would be at work in their lives; that many would encounter You even in prison.
• We continue to pray for the disruption and dismantling of gangs and cartels in Arizona and the disruption of drug and human trafficking and smuggling in our state. We fervently ask that You would aid investigations and prosecutions and that we would see a dramatic reduction in criminal activity.
• Thank you for the many godly men and women in our law enforcement agencies. We ask that you would grant them favor and help them to boldly bring the light of the gospel to those around them.
• We pray for our communities and ask for peace to prevail in the spiritual atmosphere over our towns and cities (see Jeremiah 29:7). We cry out for another Great Awakening in America, knowing that revival history tells us crime rates drop dramatically as mass conversions and repentance occur.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.