If you have not read the new report from NLEOMF on fatal encounters, you will want to do so. They are trying to share a lot of information about LODDs based on their own analysis of data. One area where I am thrilled to see NLEOMF supporting law enforcement: the need for ballistic helmets and patrol rifles. Absolutely, this is correct. Perhaps, departments will start to listen.
I have other concerns about this report, however. While it attempts to offer good insight into the particular incidents that were hand-picked for their study, they avoided many cases that are pivotal in understanding modern violence against police. Domestic disturbances are NOT the chief cause of LODDs by gunfire. They are WAY, WAY down the list of dangerous activities for police in the past five years.
I could give you a "when-I-was-a-rookie" story about how dangerous domestics were "back in the 90's," but I won't. Things have changed and many people who are new to LODD research do not recognize this. I believed the same thing when I first began looking at LODDs in 2010. I thought it would be all rookies, old-heads and domestics. Boy, was I wrong.
Don't take my word for it. Look for yourself.
Take a look at the research matrix I have posted on this site. Under the Circumstances column, scroll through the four years of incidents and look for "disturbance" or "domestic." There are a few, but NOT THAT MANY. Only about 15% of officers killed by firearms are killed on disturbance-type calls.
Approaching people in cars, stopping pedestrians, foot pursuits, ambushes and warrant service are the big elephants in the room. Here is where you really need to be careful today if you want to go home each shift.
Let's avoid being "politically correct" when we are talking about police lives.
This report doesn't tell you that police are usually killed by being shot in the head by a suspect. More than 50% of officers every year killed by firearms are killed in this way. Maybe that's not a "politically correct" thing to say in today's divided world, but it's the truth. That's the reason you need a ballistic helmet.
To be fair, NLEOMF's study excluded situations like warrant service, ambushes, assassinations, and many other kinds of incidents. They are trying to focus on three things: self-directed activity, calls for service and crashes. It's a report with good intentions, I am certain. HOWEVER: this report does not tell the whole story about firearms-related LODDs. You have to go deeper and spend a great deal more time with these incidents, these officers and these shooters to get the whole story. I know because I have been doing this for every officer killed by firearms for five years.
I've added a page to my site to help share more information about the case studies used in the NLEOMF report. I hope you will take the time to get the whole story on these officers.
I have other concerns about this report, however. While it attempts to offer good insight into the particular incidents that were hand-picked for their study, they avoided many cases that are pivotal in understanding modern violence against police. Domestic disturbances are NOT the chief cause of LODDs by gunfire. They are WAY, WAY down the list of dangerous activities for police in the past five years.
I could give you a "when-I-was-a-rookie" story about how dangerous domestics were "back in the 90's," but I won't. Things have changed and many people who are new to LODD research do not recognize this. I believed the same thing when I first began looking at LODDs in 2010. I thought it would be all rookies, old-heads and domestics. Boy, was I wrong.
Don't take my word for it. Look for yourself.
Take a look at the research matrix I have posted on this site. Under the Circumstances column, scroll through the four years of incidents and look for "disturbance" or "domestic." There are a few, but NOT THAT MANY. Only about 15% of officers killed by firearms are killed on disturbance-type calls.
Approaching people in cars, stopping pedestrians, foot pursuits, ambushes and warrant service are the big elephants in the room. Here is where you really need to be careful today if you want to go home each shift.
Let's avoid being "politically correct" when we are talking about police lives.
This report doesn't tell you that police are usually killed by being shot in the head by a suspect. More than 50% of officers every year killed by firearms are killed in this way. Maybe that's not a "politically correct" thing to say in today's divided world, but it's the truth. That's the reason you need a ballistic helmet.
To be fair, NLEOMF's study excluded situations like warrant service, ambushes, assassinations, and many other kinds of incidents. They are trying to focus on three things: self-directed activity, calls for service and crashes. It's a report with good intentions, I am certain. HOWEVER: this report does not tell the whole story about firearms-related LODDs. You have to go deeper and spend a great deal more time with these incidents, these officers and these shooters to get the whole story. I know because I have been doing this for every officer killed by firearms for five years.
I've added a page to my site to help share more information about the case studies used in the NLEOMF report. I hope you will take the time to get the whole story on these officers.
RSS Feed