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More Police Officers Died On The Job In 2014 Than In 2013


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http://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolasmedinamora/more-police-officers-died-on-the-job-in-2014-than-in-2013#.urNlmYoB4 More Police Officers Died On The Job In 2014 Than In 2013

A new report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund found that nationwide, police officers died on the job at a higher rate this year compared to last. But the rate of officer fatalities has been steadily falling since the 70s.

posted on Dec. 30, 2014, at 8:42 a.m.
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Nicolás Medina Mora
BuzzFeed News Reporter
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New York City police stand in silence as they listen to the funeral service for slain officer Rafael Ramos on December 27, 2014. Mike Segar / Reuters

More police officers across the United States died on the job in 2014 than in 2013, according to a new report published Tuesday by the non-profit National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

The report found that 126 law enforcement officials died on the job this year, a 24% increase from the 102 officers who died in 2013.

Given that there are some 900,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, according to authors of the report, that puts the current fatality rate for American cops at 0.014%, or 14 deaths per 100,000 officials.

The increase runs counter to the historical trend in officer deaths, which have decreased almost every year since 1974, when 280 officers were killed.

Not all of the deaths counted in the report were the result of criminal activity. About half of the officers who died in 2014 were killed in “felonious incidents,” with the other half dying in traffic accidents, from work-related injuries, or from other causes.

But the vast majority of this year’s increase in deaths was a result of shooting incidents, which accounted for 50 fatalities, 56% more than last year.
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National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

Within gun-related incidents, ambushes were the most common circumstance, killing 15 cops — three times as many as in 2013. The authors of the report told BuzzFeed News that the increase in ambushes was concerning.

“We were hopeful that last year was not an anomaly, and that we were making progress in making law enforcement safer,” said Steve Groeninger, the NLEOMF communications director. “But the increase in firearm deaths has troubled a lot of people in the community.”

Other experts in the filed echoed Groeninger’s position.

“A number of those who were shot were ambushed, where they were just killed because they were police officers,” said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “You have to distinguish that from interactions that stem from a confrontation.”

Still, the number of cops killed by firearms in 2014 was lower than the average for the 2010s, which was 53. The average for the 2000s was 57, and that for the 1970s 127.

California was the top state for officer fatalities, with 14 deaths. Texas was second, with 11 deaths, and New York was third, with 9 deaths. Three of the deceased officers were women.

Nicolás Medina Mora is a reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.

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As much as we all give freebuddy grief, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the article, OP. The title's pretty suggestive considering there's been a steady decline overall, and 2013 (along with 2012) was a pretty significant drop from 2010/11.

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Well the murder rate has been dropping across the industrialized world since the 1960s (yeah, Happy days, the nuclear family. etc. it was a blood bath) so the police death rate dropping since the 1970s seems reasonable. The jump from 2013 to 2014, what with a lot being ambush killings, seems to stem from the current anti police sentiment across the US.

The death of Antonio Martin and decision not to press charges. People see this as cops getting away with murder so they are taking revenge for what they perceive as the justice system failing to do its part.

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Well the murder rate has been dropping across the industrialized world since the 1960s (yeah, Happy days, the nuclear family. etc. it was a blood bath) so the police death rate dropping since the 1970s seems reasonable. The jump from 2013 to 2014, what with a lot being ambush killings, seems to stem from the current anti police sentiment across the US.

The death of Antonio Martin and decision not to press charges. People see this as cops getting away with murder so they are taking revenge for what they perceive as the justice system failing to do its part.

Not about the increased levels of poverty, homelessness, joblessness, access to firearms and desperation?

Like most violence, macro or micro, it's more about economics than politics I'd wager.

Still, it's safer than being a fisherman by a wide margin.

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Not about the increased levels of poverty, homelessness, joblessness, access to firearms and desperation?

Like most violence, macro or micro, it's more about economics than politics I'd wager.

Still, it's safer than being a fisherman by a wide margin.

We talking about the 2013 to 2014 police deaths increase? I dont think the poverty levels etc have increased from 2013 to 2014. Stats seem to indicate a slight downward trend if anything. Certainly not enough of a change for that to be the major factor in the spike IMO.

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We talking about the 2013 to 2014 police deaths increase? I dont think the poverty levels etc have increased from 2013 to 2014. Stats seem to indicate a slight downward trend if anything. Certainly not enough of a change for that to be the major factor in the spike IMO.

The economy of the USA has certainly gotten worse every year. Job creation is at levels below sustainability.

You're forgetting the human factor. People hang in, scraping to get by, then they snap and do things they wouldn't do. It takes years.

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The economy of the USA has certainly gotten worse every year. Job creation is at levels below sustainability.

You're forgetting the human factor. People hang in, scraping to get by, then they snap and do things they wouldn't do. It takes years.

No. The economy took a huge hit in 2009 and the unemployment rate has fallen every year since then. It's currently at about 6.5%. It was at 5% before the crash. It however peaked at 10% just after the crash.

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