I’m tired of reading the “officer down” messages that come across my computer terminal seemingly every night. Law enforcement officer deaths are up this year. One is too many, but 98 so far, is staggering.
Looking over the information at the Officer Down Memorial Page, we see 98 officer deaths have been listed. Almost half of those came from violent encounters, with the balance being mostly accidental or medical.
It wasn’t that long ago I was telling rookies that more cops die in traffic accidents, than from being shot. Not this year.
- Officers killed by gunfire: 34
- Officers killed in accidents and pursuits combined: 30
Sure, there are statistics and damn statistics, and I suppose one can twist the numbers any which way, but violent encounters are taking their toll on us. Even though 2009 saw “only” 127 officers killed, 47 were killed in shootings (compared to 37 in accidents and pursuits). I had to go all the way back to 2003 to find a year when the combined categories of deaths due to vehicle accidents and pursuits outnumbered gunfire.
Are criminals more violent, or are we too lazy? I don’t know. Regardless of the cause, I do know that we can still do our job and come home safe every night. But, it requires strong effort on our part to train, stay vigilant, and use the tools and techniques we have been given. Now is not the time to take shortcuts.
Stay safe!
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No, the courts are lazy. So the same criminals keep being put back out and putting our citizens and officers in harms way.
NUGUN –
You are right; the courts are not doing their job. Neither are the prosecutors.
The local state attorney (the same as a DA in other states) looks for any possible reason to dismiss a case. I’ve seen cases where a post-Miranda, video-taped confession plus physical evidence and witness testimony was considered “too-weak” by the prosecutor. Seriously?
I wish more citizens took an active interest in how their criminal justice system worked.
–Richard