February 2019

President’s Message: Safekeeping Those Who Keep the Peace

Last year, I stood looking out at a sea of yellow flames on the National Mall in Washington, DC, as I read the names of fallen officers at the 30th Annual Candlelight Vigil during the U.S. National Po...

Officer Safety & Wellness

Violence Against Law Enforcement Personnel Responding to Incidents of Mass Violence: Rethinking Foundational Principles, Training, and Equipment to Save Officers

Persons motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and other individual factors have engaged in acts of mass violence with increasing frequency and lethality. As perpetrators of these attacks arm th...

Officer Safety & Wellness

Ambushes and Unprovoked Attacks: New FBI Study Examines Assaults on Law Enforcement

Officers being attacked without warning has become more frequent, and data from the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program confirm a steady increase in these assaults fo...

Traffic Safety Initiatives

Traffic Safety Initiatives: Patrolling in Flood-Prone Areas—Staying Safe While Performing Your Duties

At 9:15 p.m., on March 2, 2018, in western Kentucky, on the Mississippi River, a city police officer—one of five officers employed by his small department—was patrolling in his department-issued 2...

Perspectives

Perspectives: Increasing Officer Safety

Q: What can agencies do to increase the safety of officers responding to calls for service? A: Law enforcement officers must have the latest equipment, technology, training, and support. Offic...

Focus on Officer Wellness

Focus on Officer Wellness: The Opioid Crisis and Staying Safe in the Line of Duty

One of the most pressing public health challenges faced by the United States today is the epidemic of opioid overdoses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose of o...

Mental Health

Taking Care of Coworkers: The Effect of Line-of-Duty Deaths on Officers

In 2007, tragedy struck the Glendale, Arizona, Police Department when Officer Anthony “Tony” Holly was shot and killed on February 19. He was just 24 years old and had served with the department...

Officer Safety & Wellness

Never Forgotten: One Family’s Experience with a Line-of-Duty Death

On July 7, 2007, Plano, Texas, Police Officer Wes Hardy was traveling on his motorcycle through an intersection, and a motorist pulled directly out in front of his bike, resulting in a collision leadi...