FBI Releases 2008 Statistics on Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted

[DAdams]

http://www.gunreports.com/news/news/1592-1.html

WASHINGTON D.C.--According to information released October 19 by the FBI, 41 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty last year; 68 officers died in accidents while performing their duties; and 58,792 officers were assaulted while on duty.

Weapons: Offenders used firearms to kill 35 of the 41 victim officers. Of these 35 officers, 25 were slain with handguns, six with rifles, and four with shotguns. Four officers were killed with vehicles that were used as weapons, and 2 officers died from injuries as a result of a bomb.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Six with rifles. While certainly anything higher than zero is horrible, six is pretty low for a type of firearm that is repeatedly claimed to be "the most dangerous" to officers, especially semi auto rifles.

Lots of good stuff in there, thanks for posting it.

Another interesting one is the stats on who the scumbags were that did this.
Again, gun laws would have zero impact here it seems....

Suspects: Law enforcement agencies identified 42 alleged assailants in connection with the 41 felonious line-of-duty deaths. Thirty-six of the assailants had prior criminal records, and 11 of the assailants were under judicial supervision at the time of the felonious incidents. Five of the offenders had received a juvenile conviction on a prior criminal charge.

Gonna bet that none of them would be legally allowed to own a gun under current laws.

 

[happygeek]

Don't suppose we'll hear anything about those numbers from the Brady Bunch, or the MSM. So I'll do a quick one for them: "this just in, 11 LEOs were killed by parolees in the line of duty in 2008, 5 more than the number killed by evil black rifles. Clearly, we've been trying to ban the wrong thing, we should be banning parole. We must get these dangerous cop killers off the streets."

 

[Monkeyleg]

I don't want this to be construed as a cop-bashing remark, or this thread to turn to cop-bashing. I'll ask a moderator to lock it if it does.

We had two police officers here in the Milwaukee shot last June. The press rightfully talked about the dangers of the job.

I got to thinking about the dangers of the jobs of those the police protect, too. I did some checking, and there are far more retail store owners killed and assaulted each year than are police officers (I'd have to re-trace my steps to get the numbers).

My point, again, isn't to denigrate the jobs of police officers, but merely to point out that the anti-gunners don't want to mention the danger even the owner of the smallest store faces just by opening his doors to the public. And we can thank many gun control laws for that.

 

[ChaoSS]

Wonder what these numbers will look like next year, with that guy in Oakland killing 4 cops in one day with a rifle.

 

[JohnL2]

and there are far more retail store owners killed and assaulted each year than are police officers (I'd have to re-trace my steps to get the numbers).

I believe it. There is a guy from Yemen at my work. He use to work in NYC at a convenience store and got hit with a bat one day.
Forget the King Crab fishermen. The most dangerous job is being a clerk at a convenience store and dealing with the general lunacy of the public.

 

[Zoogster]

Forget the King Crab fishermen. The most dangerous job is being a clerk at a convenience store and dealing with the general lunacy of the public.

It depends what you define as dangerous.

Sticking with per capita rates, which more accurately compare than total numbers fishing is by far the most dangerous profession. It has been very close between loggers and fishermen for decades, but dishing has proven the more dangerous of the two for many years now.

Followed by airplane pilots (primarily private pilots like taxis and crop dusters.)

Another thing left out of the most lethal statistics is injuries. A lot of fisherman and loggers lose limbs and are seriously injured as well who survive and are not part of the total statistic.
Caught in netting/rigging, cut by a saw or crushed by a tree etc and a limb is easily destroyed.


If you are simply citing homicide, the most dangerous profession in the nation is taxi driver. Taxi drivers are 3x more likely to be murdered on the job than police.

These are relatively consistent rates. Looking back into the early 90s you see the same jobs posing almost the same rates of death.


Taxi drivers are more likely to be murdered than any other profession. Dating back at least 20 years and still true today.

 

[medmo]

The good news nugget from this report is that it is trending down.

 

[ken50]

I guess my son will be in next year's stats. He is a Myrtle Beach police officer and was attacked by a BG with a .223 rifle. Just shrapnel wounds - lucky to be alive.

 

[BushyGuy]

the most dangerous job is a civilan driving to work everyday...

 

[Sigman314]

To bad the article did not distinquish how many of those officers were struck down by their own weapon used against them.

 

[Steve in PA]

The complete LEOKA actually does tell you which, if any officers were killed with their own firearms.

 

[fastbolt]

To bad the article did not distinquish how many of those officers were struck down by their own weapon used against them.

According to the FBI UCR stats for 2008, there were 4 of them. Scroll down to Weapons in the linked page.

http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/killed/2008/feloniouslykilled.html

FWIW, one time when a DT instructor was telling students that 30% of the cops killed in the line of duty were killed by their own weapons in the hands of criminals, I looked up the FBI stats for a decade's worth of reports and found that it was slightly over 8% for that 10 year period. I suggested the instructor check the stats he offered during training classes ...

 

[waldonbuddy]

I agree with "Monkeyleg", and others. I think I'd rather be a cop that a convenience store worker.
Think about it criminals are more apt to shoot an unarmed citizen than an LEO. Also, most gang banger types know that shooting a cop is more trouble than its worth, as they will have more heat drawn down upon them than if they shoot another rival gang member, or innocent person.

 

[eastbank]

here in mid state pa.,we have more farmers killed than police. a 1400lbs bull can do you in right now and a 3 ton john deere can be just as bad.eastbank.

 

[Guns and more]

Of these 35 officers, 25 were slain with handguns

It fails to mention how many were illegal handguns. Criminals break the law, more laws aren't the answer.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I got to thinking about the dangers of the jobs of those the police protect, too. I did some checking, and there are far more retail store owners killed and assaulted each year than are police officers (I'd have to re-trace my steps to get the numbers).

My point, again, isn't to denigrate the jobs of police officers, but merely to point out that the anti-gunners don't want to mention the danger even the owner of the smallest store faces just by opening his doors to the public. And we can thank many gun control laws for that.

I also do not wish to to denigrate the jobs of police officers, but I'd like to recount a discussion I had with a friend who was a police officer and who was running for sherrif some years ago in Viginia. This was before Virginia passed its "shall issue" law. My friend opposed "shall issue," saying "you don't know what it's like out there."

In as friendly a manner as possible I said, "You don't know that it's like out there, because you aren't 'out there.' You're 'in there.'"

In there, you get to carry a firearm wherever you go.

Out there, citizens are disarmed by law.

In there, you have a radio so you can call for help whenever you need it.

Out there, if we need help we better hope there's a phone handy.

In there, if you need help, every cop in 20 miles will be headed your way at top speed, with lights and siren blasting.

Out there, if we need help, the cops will eventually come.

My friend got the message and became a strong supporter of the "shall issue" law.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

As with most years, officers are more apt to be killed in the line of duty as a result of traffic-related causes than by intentional felonious assault resulting in their deaths. That still amazes me.

2009 has more felonious deaths from gunfire and vehicular assault, but traffic-related deaths are still high.

Of the accidental gunfire deaths, the officers were shot by other officers.

According to..http://www.odmp.org/year.php
In 2009 so far, officers killed include
Accidental: 1
Aircraft accident: 1
Assault: 2
Automobile accident: 28
Duty related illness: 2
Gunfire: 36
Gunfire (Accidental): 2
Heart attack: 3
Motorcycle accident: 3
Struck by vehicle: 4
Vehicle pursuit: 2
Vehicular assault: 9

 

[Monkeyleg]

Think about it criminals are more apt to shoot an unarmed citizen than an LEO.

Around Milwaukee, criminals long ago lost any compunctions about shooting cops. We've had quite a few this year.