Going to Work Can be Dangerous for Police Officers Around the Country

Police safety is a growing concern in communities of all sizes. From small towns with only a sheriff that travels between villages to a large city were thousands of officers working around the clock shifts to protect millions of people, police safety is always important. In a time when the news appears to be full of one horrible story after another, law enforcement safety is crucial. From the new police tactical gear that is in the 2018 budget for many large cities the used tactical body armor that smaller forces purchase from lager forces, the safety of police forces across the nation is important.

Although many people think of target practice and hours of using reactive targets when they think of candidates entering the police academy, there are many other ways for new police officers to make sure that they are safe and ready for the job. From following all of the guidelines about when to wear the available safety gear to continuing to advocate for even better protective gear, what officers where when they are on the job is often as important as making sure that you have the required amounts of target practice:

Consider some of these facts and figures about the dangers that police officers face when they go to work everyday and the measures that are taken to keep these officers safe and protected:

• 33 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed with their own weapon in the 10 years, according to the FBI.
• During the last decade there were nearly 60,000 assaults a year on police officers, according to government data.
• 33% of law enforcement officer deaths over the last 10 years were caused by gunshots. This makes shootings the second leading cause of police officer death, second only to motor vehicle crashes.
• Since the year 1978, 87 police officers in New York City alone have been saved by body armor.
• 66 law enforcement officers were criminally killed in the line of duty in 2016, according to FBI data.
• 62 of the 66 law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty in 2016 were assaulted with firearms.

We live in a world where we need police officers to keep us safe and it is increasingly important to make sure that those officers are protected as well.