FBI data showing drop in police deaths undermines 'war on cops' theory
Preliminary data show a 20% decrease in number of officers intentionally killed in the line of duty and the second-lowest total in the past 12 years
Data released by the FBI show that 2015 was one of the safest years for law enforcement officers in more than a decade.
The preliminary numbers report that 37 US police officers (41 including those from Puerto Rico) were intentionally killed by suspects in the line of duty in 2015, a decrease of 20% from 2014 and the second-lowest total in the past 12 years.
The data seem to undermine concerns that increased criticism of police, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, has fostered a “war on cops”.
“For those who seem to believe that police officers are being killed at higher rates, and that it has something to do with the protests against police misconduct, this really shows you that there’s nothing to that,” said University of Pittsburgh Law professor and policing expert David Harris.
Chuck Canterbury, president of the national Fraternal Order of Police, said he found the FBI data unconvincing.
“I think they’re going up,” he said, citing the 17 officers killed by intentional gunfire so far in 2016. “This year’s numbers are up versus last year’s, and in 2015 there seemed to be quite a few towards the end of the year.”
The FBI data include any non-accidental deaths of officers in the line of duty. All the officers killed in 2016 were killed either by gunshot, or by a suspect intentionally striking them with a vehicle.
The Officer Down Memorial Page (ODMP), which keeps data on officer deaths going back over 100 years, has recorded 17 fatal shootings of officers on duty in 2016, and one case where an officer was intentionally struck and killed with a vehicle.
more at:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/may/16/us-police-deaths-decline-2015-fbi-data
