John Kazanjian with the Palm Beach Police Benevolent Association says current events are taking a toll on police nationwide.
"It's just so intense to see what's going on in this country. It's just so terrible and it sickens me," said Kazanjian.
It's leaving many to wonder about the future - and the ability to attract the next generation of officers.
We looked into law enforcement recruitment locally.
Numbers from Palm Beach State College's Police Academy show that enrollment has been high.
A spokesperson tells us classes this year have been at capacity.
Over the past 3 years overall enrollment has remained steady - 180 recruits in 2015 - compared to 183 in 2014 and 179 in 2013.
They tell us the program always receives more applications that spots available.
Kazanjian says he expects those numbers - both here and nationwide- to take a dip in the coming years.
"You're gonna see recruitment down," he says. "Who wants to get into this job if you're getting ambushed, if you're getting assassinated?"
Kazanjian says he's already seen an impact.
"I know from last week some people have been leaving the job," he says. "New hires saying they don't want to be here, they'll go find something else."