Law Enforcement and Occupational Safety

The July 2009 Research Bulletin, published by the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) has some disturbing and sad news. After reaching a 20-year low, line-of-duty deaths for police officers increased 20% for the first half of 2009. Between January 1 - June 30, 2009, 66 law enforcement officers were killed while serving the public.

The NLEOMF report highlights the fact that for the 12th year in a row, traffic crashes were the leading cause of line-of-duty deaths. So far this year, traffic crashes have claimed the lives of 35 officers, while shootings claimed the lives of 22 officers.

This 20% increase is striking, considering the fact that 43 of 50 states now have a "Slow Down, Move Over" law that applies to police, fire, and EMS vehicles. This American Automobile Association (AAA) chart shows which states have the law and what is required by it.

Clearly, there's a problem. As a former police officer, I can vouch for the long and very valuable hours of Officer Survival training. However, when traffic crashes kill 50% more officers than shootings, it seems that that the law enforcement training industry should address this seriously and scientifically.

ANY officer killed while serving the the public is a tragedy, regardless of whether the cause of death is a shootout or a vehicle crash. But until we stop writing off preventable traffic crashes as "accidents" and start viewing them as preventable mishaps (the way NASA does or the way the USAF does), we're unlikely to see much change.