Making It Safer: A Study of Law Enforcement Fatalities Between 2010-2016

Publication Date: 2018
Tag(s): law enforcement, officer safety
Author(s): the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Abstract: This report encompasses a seven-year study conducted from 2010-2016 to analyze 1,016 line-of-duty deaths. Designed to enhance officer safety by providing the most up to date analysis of fatal incidents, the report examines events that involved both dispatched calls for service and self-initiated activities such as traffic stops. Making It Safer uses case studies, analysis of key findings, and statistics to make safety recommendations in several areas. The report provides insight into the historic and ongoing problem of police-on-police shootings, where an officer is inadvertently or mistakenly shot and killed by a fellow officer. In addition to analyzing responses to domestic violence attacks, rifle attacks, ambushes and police assassinations, the study also examines the role of seatbelt and body armor use in reducing officer fatalities.