We’re seeing a troubling trend. Based on preliminary data recently released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, the number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty surged nearly 43 percent during the first six months of 2010. The most concerning aspect of this is that an inordinate number of these officer deaths are attributed to accidents.
Here at Law Officer, we’re on a mission to help raise awareness about the importance of officer safety. We’ve started an initiative called the Below 100 Project. The goal is to get the number of officer deaths annually to below 100. We’re starting with five simple steps that can have great impact:
- Wear your belt.
- Wear your vest.
- Watch your speed.
- WIN—What’s Important Now?
- Remember: Complacency Kills!
If you’re a trainer, supervisor or department leader, you can play a key role in decreasing the number of officer deaths to historic lows by reminding your officers of those five key points.
It’s been more than 50 years since the number of line-of-duty deaths was below 100. We must turn this around, and we can do so if we will take responsibility for our own actions and hold our people and ourselves accountable.
We can do this.
