Police deaths
After trending downward to 40 year low, there’s an uptick in police gun deaths:
The number of officers killed in the line of duty by gunfire increased 24 percent from 2008, according to preliminary statistics compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a national nonprofit organization that tracks officer-related deaths.
As of Saturday, 47 police officers have died nationwide this year after being shot while on duty, up from 38 for the same time in 2008, which was the lowest number of gunfire deaths since 1956, according to the data.
Quote unnamed criminologist:
The availability of guns compounds the problem, criminologists say. But Pennsylvania, the state with the most gun-related officer deaths so far this year, has among the strictest gun laws in the country, according to a ranking by the pro-gun-control Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Other states, like Louisiana, Oklahoma and Kentucky, have very little oversight and had few, if any, officer gun deaths this year.
Kevin Morison, a spokesman for the Officers Memorial Fund, which keeps the statistics, said he sees people on both sides of the gun debate using the numbers to prove points.
“But folks who are willing to intentionally target police officers seem to be able to find a way to accrue guns regardless of what the laws in those state would be,” Morison said.
Wait. The AP just criticized the anti-gun position? Good. On the overall trend:
In 1973, during a heyday of corruption and crime, there were around 600,000 officers and about 156 gunfire deaths. Currently, there are about 900,000 law enforcement officers nationwide and only 47 gunfire deaths this year — a per-capita decrease of nearly 21 percent.
Despite the increase in the number of gunfire deaths from 2008, there have been fewer overall officer deaths so far this year: 117, compared with 125 last year, according to the statistics. The major reason is that traffic deaths are down 24 percent.
December 14th, 2009 at 11:32 am
There are approximately 800,000 leo’s in the US.
The actual increase in leo gun deaths is more like 0.001125%, or statistically insignificant.
In before “why do you hate cops”
December 14th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I live in the locality where the 4 police officers were recently killed.
I grew up in the neighborhood where it happened.
Here is what is changing:
Not the amount of guns.
Not the availability of guns.
Not the capailities of the weapons.
The criminal has changed. He’s become more savage, more devoid of concience, with more arrogant brutality lodged in his heart. He operates very commonly with the support of family and friends, in real or ersatz gangs, and compassion from judges and politicians.
4 police officers murdered while having coffee in a shop.
One police officer a few miles north, assasinated in his patrol car at a traffic light.
In each case, there was no coincidental crime being committed, no arrest being made, no warrant served.
The criminal elements are now targeting police as a stand alone crime, or are of a mindset in advance of another crime to resist violently.
As dangerous are those aiding, abetting, and suporting the killers.
We are going to have to start taking another look at how we deal with these killers, and those that love them. Not just from a law enforcement angle, but from a societal approach that now states we must tolerate low level criminality up to the point the innocent start to die.
December 14th, 2009 at 2:33 pm
AP needs to have a math check again. 156 out of 600,000 compared to 47 out of 900,000 is not a 21% decrease per capita. That is an 80% decrease per capita. 26 per 100000 versus 5.2 per 100000.
December 14th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
What Reputo says.
Had just gotten the very same numbers and was about to post…