The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released their annual report on the number of U.S. law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. The Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted 2012 (LEOKA ’12) report reveals that 48 heroes died in the line of duty, the majority murdered by criminals.
Forty-four of the slain officers were shot, and the average age was 38-years old. The average number of years on their respective forces was twelve. Some of the slain officers were ambushed by criminals before their deaths. Other reasons given included: arrests, traffic pursuits or stops, investigations of suspicious persons or circumstances, tactical situations, and disturbance calls.
The report states: “Six of the slain officers were off-duty but felt duty-bound to intercede and were acting in an official capacity at the time of the incidents.”
In addition to the 48 law enforcement officers who were murdered, the LEOKA ’12 reveals that another 47 died from accidents occurring in the line of duty. Another 59,901 law enforcement officers were assaulted in 2012.
The FBI’s efforts to research and publish the annual report is significant not only because it honors the heroes who gave their lives each year to protect other Americans, but it also provides details of how the officers were slain and what circumstances surrounded the tragedies. The overall goal of LEOKA is to help reduce the number of law enforcement deaths and assaults by allowing law enforcement agencies to adjust their training programs and procedures.
The FBI does not stop at publishing the report. There are also training programs aimed at keeping officers safe around the nation. The FBI lists these efforts as:
- An officer safety awareness training course that provides potentially life-saving information to help law enforcement personnel improve their situational awareness during activities like arrests, traffic stops, foot pursuits, ambushes, and other high-risk encounters.
- A one-week Law Enforcement Training for Safety and Survival program is designed to give participants the skills and mindset required to identify and handle critical situations in high-risk environments. Topics include arrest planning, ballistic shield deployment, low light operations, felony vehicle stops, and basic survival techniques.
- The National Crime Information Center (NCIC)–accessed by more than 92,000 agencies–added a Violent Persons File in 2012 that can help officers quickly determine if, during a routine traffic stop or another type of encounter, they come across an individual who has a violent criminal history or who has previously threatened law enforcement.
Breitbart News readers are encouraged to view the full 2012 LEOKA report here.
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