In 2016, law enforcement officer deaths rose to their highest level in five years, driven by firearm-related deaths. However, the law enforcement community should not lose sight that motor vehicle events, including collisions and being struck by moving vehicles, have been a leading cause of death for many years. In addition, there are even more collisions that do not result in fatalities, but can cause injuries and property damage. In California, for example, it is estimated that there are more than 100 non-fatal collisions for every fatal collision. Vehicle collisions can have a tremendous emotional, physical, and financial impact on officers, their families, and their departments; yet, few formal research studies on these effects exist. Fortunately, several recent efforts have started to fill this knowledge gap.
Research in Brief: Officer-Involved Collisions: Magnitude, Risk Factors, and Prevention
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Law enforcement and the communities they serve want many of the same things. They want effective responses to crime and other problems.
They want policing that promotes safety and trust....
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This marked a slight increase from 2007 when around 27 per...
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Yet, achi...
