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WHERE DO WE STAND? WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? By Barbara Doepping Part II - U. S. Law Enforcement Officer Deaths Review Law Enforcement Officer Deaths Decline Sharply in 2008, read the headline of the preliminary statistics report in the December, 2008 Research Bulletin of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (www.nleomf.org). And although 2008 will go on record as one of the safest years for peace officers in the last four decades-140 peace officers gave their lives to make it so. According to Craig W. Floyd, Chairman and CEO of the NLEOMF, "New data for 2008 suggest that law enforcement executives, officers, associations and trainers heeded the call this year-and the country's peace officers were safer as a result." Public agencies today are seriously reevaluating their training facilities, requirements, methods and strategies, while facing tightening training budgets, increased requirements, environmental concerns, and aged facilities. The Interact Business Group is committed to providing strategic Business Plans for state-of-the-art training facilities. State-of-the-art facilities that provide training, training that saves lives.
What happened in 2008 was radically different compared to the number of officers killed in 2007 (181 officers gave their lives in the line of duty, the highest total in 20 years). However, Jennifer Thacker, National President, Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) brings the point home, "... we know that for each of the surviving families and co-workers, their one officer is one too many." What worked and what didn’t in 2008? The statistics provided by the NLEOMF speak for themselves.
From 35 deaths in 1954, up to a high of 156 in 1973, 2008 records a loss of 41 officers due to firearms-related incidents. That's down a dramatic 40% from 2007. Two top techniques that were employed in '08, per Craig Floyd, included better use of non-lethal weapons and Taser stun guns, and the fact that over 70% of policemen used bullet-resistant vests. At the Milwaukee police academy instructors believe improved training has resulted in fewer officer deaths. Sgt. Jim MacGillis related that their training involves simulation exercise requiring officers to make a decision to shoot or not shoot, and that cadets practice live-fire training as well.
The good news is that twelve fewer officers died in traffic related incidents compared to the 83 that lost their lives in 2007. Nevertheless, for 11 years in a row more officers have lost their lives in motorcycle and automobile crashes and by being struck by other vehicles. Of these 71 officers that lost their lives in 2008, 17 lost their lives when struck by another vehicle, motorcycle accidents claimed 10 lives, and automobile crashes claimed the most: 44; and although the highest category of loss, this number indicates a 25 percent decline. How has improved training and equipment affected traffic deaths? Today, officer's vehicles are more apt to include side-air bags and many include a fire suppression substance located near the gas tank to reduce the risk of fire. Improved training in high-speed and defensive driving techniques can also be credited to the decrease in fatalities.
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