# Increase in officer deaths: Pattern or anomaly?



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

By Dave Smith 
Lead Street Survival Seminar Instructor

From the Calibre Press Street Survival Newsline

If you just got back from a long vacation and haven't heard the news yet, law enforcement is having a terrible year. Deaths are up 39% over last year and officers killed by assaults are on course to reach the terrible numbers we saw thirty years ago. Just look at the year-to-date as of the morning of July 24th from the Officer Down Memorial Page (www.odmp.org) Website:

*Total Line of Duty Deaths: 103 *
Accidental: 1 
Aircraft accident: 2 
Automobile accident: 31 
Boating accident: 1 
Bomb: 2 
Drowned: 3 
Exposure to toxins: 1 
Gunfire: 40 
Gunfire (Accidental): 3 
Heart attack: 3 
Motorcycle accident: 3 
Struck by vehicle: 4 
Vehicle pursuit: 3 
Vehicular assault: 4 
Weather/Natural disaster: 2 
*By Month:* 
January: 10 
February: 12 
March: 16 
April: 19 
May: 22 
June: 15 
July: 9

*Average Tour:* 10 years, 1 month

*Average Age:* 37

*By Gender:* 
Female: 1 
Male: 102

What we see at first blush is greater numbers in many categories and a few in categories we normally don't see many officers killed in, such as drowning [for more on drowning prevention read _Taking the plunge: Water safety that could save your life_] and weather disasters. 2007 will be a bad year no matter what the remaining months bring since the year-to- date numbers are so tragic. But what does this mean to you as you get ready to go on duty today, tonight, or are reading this from the terminal in you patrol vehicle?

Full Article: http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/davesmith/articles/1292601/


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