Former sheriff’s deputy unloads on progressive counties for ‘not having

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A former California sheriff’s deputy who survived a near-death struggle with a suspect is warning potential officers that progressive leaders won’t have their backs.

Former San Bernardino County sheriff’s deputy Meagan McCarthy was set upon by a violent suspect in 2019 who fired at her with her own gun. Despite video evidence showing the attack and the ensuing struggle, the suspect was acquitted by a California jury of attempted murder and assault charges, leaving McCarthy disillusioned and leading to her resignation.

The former cop and mother of three spoke with Fox News Digital about the decision she made to leave the force she was previously so proud to be part of and had a blunt warning for next-generation law enforcement.

“The biggest takeaway that I honestly had from law enforcement … you really were the line between good and evil,” she said. “We responded to things that if the cops wouldn’t have gotten there when they did, it would be horrible situations for people on top of already dangerous situations.”

(Video Credit: Fox News Digital)

McCarthy attended nursing school before deciding to step into law enforcement, a job she took a lot of pride in.

“I took a lot of pride in being a cop,” she said. “I love serving the community, and I just wish that law enforcement was able to get that pendulum swinging back for them.”

She suffered post-traumatic stress and retired from the force in 2022 after the incident in which Ari Young had rushed her as she arrived on the scene after responding to a “priority 1” call. A neighbor was able to capture some of what transpired on cell phone video, showing the struggle between McCarthy and Young who had wrested her firearm away from her and fired several shots that thankfully missed his target before backup officers arrived.

“I am very thankful that there are still men and women out there willing to do the job,” McCarthy told Fox News Digital. “My husband still works for the department. I have tons of friends that do it. However, knowing what I know now, it would be really hard for me to go and serve the institution of law enforcement, just because the politicians, the elected officials, our leaders do not have our backs.”

“You have to worry about these leaders coming after you years down the road,” she added. “We’re seeing all of these crazy woke district attorneys opening up cases years later. . . . Is my family going to be able to afford a mortgage if something happens to me later down the line?”

With the anti-police sentiment that spread in the wake of George Floyd’s death in 2020, police have left the force in droves across the nation and recruitment levels are down, especially in Democrat-run cities.

McCarthy is not the only one sounding the alarm, as former New York City Police Officer Taylor Marino also highlighted how progressive oversight agencies grew in power, telling Fox News, “It was almost like they were your boss.”

“It all kind of fell through the floor,” he said. “Every year, it was like, it can’t get any worse than this. And then it just did.”

“The lack of manpower over the years … slowly but surely, a lot of people were starting to leave,” he said. “There were less people to work with, and that’s an increase in workload for you, an increase in liability. That was a huge concern.”

The demands of the job amid long hours and lack of adequate numbers of officers led Marino to conclude, “It just wasn’t worth it.”

“You still see on a national level how police officers are dragged through the mud for situations where people don’t agree with your actions, even though they have no knowledge or have never experienced situations of their own like that,” said the former cop who retired after just five years. “I had the chance to get out of law enforcement and I took it.”

Betsy Brantner Smith, a spokesperson for the National Police Association, also noted that progressive cities have added another level that is challenging those considering a career in law enforcement.

“My dad was NYPD. My grandpa was NYPD, and those legacy cops are bailing out,” she said. “We’re not having the legacies themselves encourage their kids to come to those agencies. So now what are we doing? Now we’re gonna have DACA recipients.”

“Wait until a DACA recipient uses force on an American,” Brantner Smith, who spent three decades on the force, said. “There’s a certain naïveté to this whole situation.”

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.