Personal Injury Law

2009 Increase in Number of Police Officers Killed in The Line of Duty

According to a report issued by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund the number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty jumped twenty percent (20%) during the first six months of 2009. The number of officers killed in traffic related incidents increased seventeen percent (17%) during the first six months of 2009 from 30 to 35 deaths. Of interest is the fact that more officers are killed in the line of duty in traffic related accidents than they are with incidents involving firearms.

We have blogged before about the dangers to the public caused by high speed police chases. Obviously, officers in the line of duty are endangered when they engage in these pursuits. While such pursuits are justified when the offender is dangerous to the public such as a carjacker, armed robber, suspected rapist or murderer, the same cannot be stated for situations involving minor traffic offenders and other non-violent offenses. In short, when the suspected offender has done nothing which is dangerous to the public and thereafter a high speed pursuit ensues at speeds approaching 100 miles per hour, not only is the innocent public endangered by such a pursuit, the officer himself can be endangered as he/she can lose control of their vehicle quite easily at such speeds.

We continue to advocate that high speed pursuits should be limited to those situations where the danger to the public caused by the chase itself is justified by the dangers to the public presented by the suspect. If the danger to the public caused by the chase itself is greater than the need to apprehend a non-violent offender as an example, the pursuit should be terminated. Research and statistics show that if pursuits are terminated, the suspect ceases to flee, shows down and deadly collisions are avoided. Of interest is that crime does not increase in those jurisdictions that have restrictive pursuit policies.

Full post as published by Georgia Injury Lawyer Blog on July 15, 2009 (boomark / email).