Cops in the U.S. just had their second-safest year since 1959

Enigma · Dec 28, 2017

Dec 28, 2017

Being a police officer has become a much safer job in America, according to new numbers released Thursday by the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund. There were 128 law enforcement fatalities in 2017, a 10 percent drop, marking the second-safest year for law enforcement since 1959. The safest year was 2013, which saw 116 line-of-duty fatalities.

Being a cop is, statistically speaking, still a dangerous job — but not the most dangerous. The most dangerous profession, according to Bureau of Labor statistics, is logging, followed by fishing, and then aircraft piloting and engineering.

But numbers have been stable and trending lower overall for the past decade. One blip in the trend came in 2016, when a handful of violent and deadly ambushes on law enforcement led to an increase in fatalities from the previous year, up to 143 from 137 in 2015 (and a significant increase in firearm-related deaths).

That increase was cast by some lawmakers as evidence officers' jobs were getting more dangerous. Pro-police groups and unions blamed the Obama administration, saying that its increased scrutiny of policing and its willingness to listen to the concerns of the Black Lives Matter movement had put officers in danger.

It also gave presidential candidate Donald Trump a powerful talking point on the stump that he has revisited frequently in his first year in office. “Our police have been subject to unfair defamation and vilification and — really, you see what’s going on — even worse, hostility and violence,” Trump said at the National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service in May. “We will protect you.”

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, meanwhile, has rolled back many of the key police reforms that began under Obama, such as ordering a review of federal agreements designed to reform troubled police departments and restoring asset forfeiture, a controversial practice that his predecessor tried to phase out.

The “Blue Lives Matter” movement began developing steam in 2016, as a counterpoint to “Black Lives Matter.” In 2017, that pro-police sentiment materialized into a flurry of “Blue Lives Matter” bills in state legislatures. Lawmakers in 14 states introduced a total of 32 bills this year, seeking to ramp up penalties for people who hurt police officers.

Here are some of the main findings from 2017:

Traffic related incidents was the leading cause of line-of-duty fatalities. Forty-seven officers were killed in traffic incidents, down from 54 in 2016.

The second-leading cause of officer deaths was firearm-related incidents. Forty-four officers were shot and killed in 2017 — compared to 66 officers in 2016.

Officers were most likely to be fatally shot when responding to a domestic disturbance.

Texas accounted for the most line-of-duty deaths by far (there were 14 officer deaths in the lone star state) — despite having the fourth largest police force in the country.

Five officers died from drowning. Three of those deaths were directly linked to the devastating hurricanes that wreaked havoc across the United States, including Puerto Rico.

According to a Washington Post tracker, 971 people were killed by police in 2017 so far, compared to 963 in 2016 and 995 in 2015.
Click to expand...

Vice News

Michael Myers · Dec 28, 2017

Dec 28, 2017
Good news. Now decrease the victims of police brutality and we fine

JMG · Dec 28, 2017

Dec 28, 2017
good.. maybe the michael brown hoax taught some people u dont reach for cops guns.

Evad · Dec 28, 2017

Dec 28, 2017

Michael Myers said

Good news. Now decrease the victims of police brutality and we fine
Click to expand...

Hard Klyntar · Dec 28, 2017

Dec 28, 2017
this is not good news

Caine · Dec 28, 2017

Dec 28, 2017
Easy to stay safe when you open fire on anything that looks at you wrong

Enigma · Dec 28, 2017

Dec 28, 2017

Soulja said

Easy to stay safe when you open fire on anything that looks at you wrong
Click to expand...

You would think with police deaths trending downward, they would be less on edge but nope.

LLLMMMMFFFFFAAAAAAOOOOOO · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018
I guess killing innocent law abiding African Americans is considered safe? Smh #not my police force

reesey · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018
WOW, this is f---ing ridiculous

LLLMMMMFFFFFAAAAAAOOOOOO · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018

Biggs said

WOW, this is f--king ridiculous
Click to expand...

We need to organize some protest or something fam. This is ridiculous they really didn't get the message

Lucy · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018
"every cop is exactly the same and evil as institution"
"every muslim is exactly the same and evil terrorist religion"
"every black american is poor and uneducated"
"every German is into nazism, hang all germans"
"every American is a trigger happy r-----, nuke America"
"minority group X did Y to me. All X's are d----s arrest them!"

LLLMMMMFFFFFAAAAAAOOOOOO · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018

Coco said

"every cop is exactly the same and evil as institution"
"every muslim is exactly the same and evil terrorist religion"
"every black american is poor and uneducated"
"every German is into nazism, hang all germans"
"every American is a trigger happy r-----, nuke America"
"minority group X did Y to me. All X's are d----s arrest them!"
Click to expand...

Black American rappers aren't poor

Big Dangerous · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018

Coco said

"every cop is exactly the same and evil as institution"
"every muslim is exactly the same and evil terrorist religion"
"every black american is poor and uneducated"
"every German is into nazism, hang all germans"
"every American is a trigger happy r-----, nuke America"
"minority group X did Y to me. All X's are d----s arrest them!"
Click to expand...

"every Aussie bumps kerser"

Lucy · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018

Tekashi The King of NY 69 said

Black American rappers aren't poor
Click to expand...

yeah i know, this cop isnt a trigger happy r----- that wants to murder people either
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...life-driving-car-going-wrong-way-highway.html

LLLMMMMFFFFFAAAAAAOOOOOO · Feb 5, 2018

Feb 5, 2018

Coco said

yeah i know, this cop isnt a trigger happy r----- that wants to murder people either
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...life-driving-car-going-wrong-way-highway.html
Click to expand...

I'm not sold on that

Alchemist34 · Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

Coco said

yeah i know, this cop isnt a trigger happy r----- that wants to murder people either
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...life-driving-car-going-wrong-way-highway.html
Click to expand...

He wouldn't have done that if she was black f--- that guy

Sign Up / Log InJoin

Cops in the U.S. just had their second-safest year since 1959

Life

Sign Up / Log InJoin

Thread Tools

Cops in the U.S. just had their second-safest year since 1959

Sign Up / Log In

Register

Life

Useful Searches