Honoring Law Enforcement Officers This Peace Officers Memorial Day

The Rose and Shield is the symbol of the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

On May 15th--Peace Officers Memorial Day--and throughout National Police Week (May 8-15), we acknowledge the incredible service and sacrifices law enforcement personnel make daily for their fellow Americans. The brave men and women of our Nation’s law enforcement work long hours, often in dangerous situations, to protect our lives, liberty and property.

Today we lower flags to half staff to respect, honor and remember ALL fallen law enforcement officers, including the 129 who died in the line of duty in 2017. Inscribed on the granite walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. are the names of 21,541 peace officers who have died in the line of duty since 1791. We will never forget their courage.

The National Blue Alert Networkis an emergency alert and early warning system that protects America’s law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. The Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission worked together to establish a dedicated Emergency Alert System event code. This code facilitates rapid dissemination of critical information to law enforcement agencies and the public about violent offenders who have killed, seriously injured, or who pose an imminent and credible threat to law enforcement officers.

The White House lit in blue to honor fallen law enforcement officers

The safety and health of our officers must be a priority for all Americans. Every day, members of law enforcement risk their lives in service to those they have pledged to protect and defend.  We must not take their devotion to duty for granted, and we must do everything in our power to ensure their physical and mental well-being. The new Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act of 2017 helps provide police officers the resources they need to deal with job stress and trauma associated with their demanding career field.

The work of law enforcement officers is essential to preserving peace in our communities and to ensuring the safety of precious lives and personal property. Today, we solemnly acknowledge our debt to those who have lost their lives in the line of duty. These officers and their families have our prayers and unwavering gratitude.

By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” and the week in which it falls as “Police Week.”

The Death of Even One Law Enforcement Officer is Too Many

If you know anything about me, you know that I have extensive experience working in and among law enforcement officials. As Director of Communications for the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, which produces an annual report on law enforcement fatalities, I followed very closely data and statistics pertaining to how many officers made the ultimate sacrifice.

Yes, we have heroes in our armed forces who in combat zones face considerable violence and risks. Sadly, as the NLEOMF report below indicates, our heroes in blue who "ensure domestic tranquility" also face considerable violence and risks. Whenever the media interviewed me about a fallen law enforcement colleague, I said "the death of even one law enforcement officer is too many."

We've got a long way to go to reduce to zero the number of law enforcement officers who die in the line of duty, but the NLEOMF's report below is promising.

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2008 is ending as one of the safest years for U.S. law enforcement in decades. The number of officers killed in the line of duty fell sharply this year when compared with 2007, and officers killed by gunfire reached a 50-year low.

Based on analysis of preliminary data, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) and Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) found that 140 officers have died in the line of duty so far this year. That is 23 percent lower than the 2007 figure of 181, and represents one of the lowest years for officer fatalities since the mid-1960s.

This year's reduction includes a steep, 40 percent drop in the number of officers who were shot and killed, from 68 in 2007 to 41 in 2008. The last time firearms-related fatalities were this low was 1956, when there were 35 such deaths. The 2008 figure is 74 percent lower than the total for 1973, when a near-record high 156 law enforcement officers were shot and killed.

"2007 was a wake-up call for law enforcement in our country, and law enforcement executives, officers, associations and trainers clearly heeded the call, with a renewed emphasis on officer safety training, equipment and procedures," said NLEOMF Chairman and CEO Craig W. Floyd. "The reduction in firearms-related deaths is especially stunning, given the tremendous firepower possessed by so many criminals today. The fact that law enforcement has been able to drive down the crime rate, and do so with increased efficiency and safety, is a testament to the hard work and professionalism of our officers," Mr. Floyd added.

"Concerns of Police Survivors is pleased to see the reduction in officer deaths for 2008 and hope this is a trend we will see year after year. But we also know that for each of the surviving families and co-workers, their one officer is one too many," said C.O.P.S. National President Jennifer Thacker. "These families, co-workers and agencies are struggling to cope with life without their officer and will need support from C.O.P.S. before, during and long after National Police Week. C.O.P.S. will continue its efforts to provide life rebuilding support and resources for 2008 surviving families and affected co-workers, as well as past year survivors to help them rebuild their shattered lives. We will embrace these families and affected co-workers and assure them there is no fee to join C.O.P.S., for the price paid is already too high," she said.

In 2008, for the 11th year in a row, more law enforcement officers, 71, died in traffic-related incidents than from gunfire or any other single cause of death. Mirroring the nationwide drop in traffic fatalities among the general public this year, the number of officers killed in traffic incidents was down 14 percent from 2007. Last year, a record high 83 officers died on our roadways. Of this year's traffic-related fatalities, 44 officers died in automobile crashes, 10 died in motorcycles crashes and 17 were struck and killed by other vehicles.

Among other causes of death, 17 officers succumbed to job-related physical illnesses, three died in aircraft accidents, two were fatally stabbed, two died in bomb-related incidents, and one each was beaten to death, drowned, accidentally electrocuted and died in a train accident.

Fifteen of the officers killed this year were women, equaling the all-time high set in 2002. 2008 marked the first time that more than 10 percent of the officers who died in a year were female. Among all officers killed in 2008, the average age was 40 and the officers had served an average of 12 years in law enforcement.

Texas, for the second year in a row, experienced the most law enforcement officer fatalities, although the state's 2008 total of 14 was down from 22 in 2007. California had 12 officer fatalities, followed by Florida and Pennsylvania, with eight each. Four of the eight Pennsylvania officers to die this year were members of the Philadelphia Police Department, which experienced the most deaths of any agency. Thirty-five states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands lost officers in 2008. Eight officers serving with federal law enforcement agencies also died this year, down from 17 in 2007.

Mr. Floyd cited a number of reasons for the sharp decline in officer fatalities this year: 1) better training and equipment, plus a realization among officers that "every assignment is potentially life-threatening, no matter how routine or benign it might seem;" 2) increased use of less-lethal weaponry, including TASER stun guns, which allow officers to apprehend resisting violent offenders with less chance of assault or injury; 3) more officers wearing bullet-resistant vests-over the past 20 years, vests have saved more than 3,000 law enforcement lives; 4) a downturn in violent crime-the Department of Justice reported that violent crime is at its lowest level since 1973; and 5) a tougher criminal justice system, with a record 2.3 million offenders in correctional facilities nationwide.

The statistics released by the NLEOMF and C.O.P.S. are preliminary and do not represent a final or complete list of individual officers who will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in 2009. The report, "Law Enforcement Officer Deaths, Preliminary 2008 Report," is available at www.nleomf.org. For information on the programs that Concerns of Police Survivors offers to the surviving families of America's fallen law enforcement officers, visit www.nationalcops.org.