LANSING – Oakland County Democrats today denounced a new video game in which the goal is to kill police officers. They urged all citizens, from parents to public officials, to sign a nationwide petition calling for a boycott of "25 to Life."
"I am sickened by the thought of one of my grandchildren playing a video game where players kill police officers," said State Representative Aldo Vagnozzi (D-Farmington/Farmington Hills). "It is extremely disrespectful to people who put their lives on the line for us every day. I urge all residents to boycott this offensive game."
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) is circulating a petition urging the public to boycott "25 to Life." The NLEOMF petition campaign calls on parents and caregivers to keep children away from the game, which gives players points for killing law enforcement officers and also encourages them to use bystanders as human shields. Maker Eidos began distributing the game in January.
"A lot of the bad behaviors law enforcement officers observe in today's society, particularly among young people, are learned behaviors," said Southfield Police Chief Dr. Joseph E. Thomas Jr. "These behaviors are not coming from family members, but are coming more and more from movies and video games. Once you shoot someone in real life, you can't push the reset button. My concern is that we are inadvertently training our kids to kill each other; now we're targeting police officers."
House Democrats introduced a resolution calling on the Michigan House to support the NLEOMF petition boycotting "25 to Life."
"Kids should learn to admire law enforcement officers, not play video games where they kill them," said State Representative Marie Donigan (D-Royal Oak).
"The game '25 to Life' has no place in our community," said State Representative Paul Condino (D-Southfield). "I call on my fellow legislators to boycott this despicable game."
In 2004, 153 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty in the United States, according to NLEOMF. Around 17,000 are injured on average each year nationwide.
The petition to boycott "25 to Life" can be signed at: www.nleomf.com/25tolife/.