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Law enforcement has long been described as the nation's most dangerous profession. Recently-released statistics on line-of-duty police deaths in 2000 provide sad evidence that this perception remains correct. According to figures provided by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and the concerns of Police Survivors (COPS). 151 federal, state and local officers were killed in duty-related incidents last year. This was a 13 percent increase over the 134 officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in 1999. Of the overall total, 51 were shot to death, 47 died in automobile accidents and 20 were struck by automobiles while outside of their own vehicles (see story on House Bill 5549 in this edition). "Despite improved equipment and better training, law enforcement remains the deadliest profession in America," declared NLEOMF Chairman Craig W. Floyd in announcing the study results. He noted that, on average, a police officer is killed somewhere in this country every 57 hours. "There are also 62,000 assaults committed against our officers every year, resulting in more than 21,000 injuries," he added. "Dating back to the first recorded law enforcement fatality in 1792, more than 15,000 officers have lost their lives in the line of duty." COPS National President Molly Winters commented that: "The sacrifices made by our police officers, and their families, are all too often taken for granted. Not a day goes by that an officer does not risk his or her life for the safety and protection of others." |
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