FBI: 56 Police Officer Slayings In 2002

[TheeBadOne]

Fifty-six law enforcement officers were slain last year, nearly all of them with firearms, the FBI reported . An additional 77 died in accidents.

Fifty-one of the 56 federal, state or local police officers who died at the hands of criminals were shot, with 38 of the deaths caused by handguns. Rifles and shotguns were used in 13 killings, with four officers run over by vehicles and one stabbed to death.

The 2002 killings - 48 men and eight women - brought to 636 the number of officers slain since 1993, with 591 of those deaths attributed to firearms. There were 71 police slayings in 2001.

Car, airplane and motorcycle crashes accounted for 42 of the 77 accidental police deaths in 2002. Others died from accidental shootings and from such things as officers falling from a horse, drowning or being struck by a falling tree.

The FBI also reported that more than 58,000 law enforcement officers were assaulted in 2002, slightly more than in 2001. The majority were attacked while responding to disturbance calls, such as bar fights and domestic arguments, while making arrests or while transporting prisoners.
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Always sobering, the FBI report is just statistics, unless you know someone who's a stat...

 

[Chipperman]

How many of the criminals had their guns legally?

 

[Steve Smith]

No offense, but I don't really understand why this is supposed to matter to me.

 

[Daniel T]

How many of those "accidents" were suicides?

 

[Bill Hook]

How many convenience store clerks die in the line of duty each year?

 

[TheeBadOne]

The lesson I see here is to be careful as there are a lot of people out there who won't hesitate to hurt you, and if someone threatens you with a firearm you'd better believe they may use it!

Stay safe out there

TBO

 

[Carlos Cabeza]

Gee TBO, gotta love the stuff you post here............................ Got any stories about the cop who's wife just gave birth to their first baby boy ???? Or how about ANYTHING POSITIVE !!!!!! This is the reason I hate to watch the news...............it's nearly always about dirty laundry, very disheartening..........................

 

[TheeBadOne]

Got any stories about the cop who's wife just gave birth to their first baby boy ???? Or how about ANYTHING POSITIVE !!!!!!

Carlos, sorry, but that's not allowed as relevant on THR. I can PM you some of that stuff if you like. I agree that the News is pretty depressing on most days.

 

[MaterDei]

Bill Hook said;

How many convenience store clerks die in the line of duty each year?

Bill, you make a VERY good point. I would like to see those figures.

 

[Carlos Cabeza]

No intentions of attacking your choice of post content but it seems rather dependant upon malicious topic. I was not aware that positive gun related post content was frowned upon here at THR........I thought we all were trying to unite gun owners and promote responsibility and accountability. I am aware that with the good one must also accept the bad but it should be at a diminished capacity on a forum known as The High Road, if for the sake of the uneducated.

 

[Mark Tyson]

How many were killed with their own weapon?

 

[Steve Smith]

Carlos, I think the issue is that the large majority of TBO's posts are reprints of police blotters, usually about dead cops. Folks are tuning out 'cause the song never changes.

 

[rock jock]

How many unarmed non-LEO's were killed last year by BGs w/ guns? That is a statistic I would like to know about.

 

[Carlos Cabeza]

Well Steve, this is one topic that strikes a sour nerve with me. I simply cannot bear the weight of cops killed in the line of duty. May god bless them for putting their lives in harms way to protect those of us who cannot. amen.

 

[4v50 Gary]

These statistics are studied by LE firearms instructors to evaluate their training programs and to develop their course of fire. Distance for instance. Excluding suicides, from what distance did the assailant fire? What time of day (most are during evening hours), what circumstances (family fights are common), weapons used (rifle or handgun or shotgun like we've been told). They're important for LE agencies, academies, instructors and administrators.

 

[Mark Tyson]

Are the 2002 stats online yet?

 

[TheeBadOne]

Got any stories about the cop who's wife just gave birth to their first baby boy ?

Carlos, that's what I was refering to when I said things like that are not allowed on THR (off topic).

All the best

 

[carpettbaggerr]

51 cops killed with guns. 200,000,000+ guns in the US. Seems like guns aren't really a problem.

 

[tyme]

rock jock, how would you determine "armed"? How many murders are criminal-on-criminal where both are armed? I would fully expect a criminal to take the victim's gun after shooting him. I suspect most murders happen this way, and since criminals don't register guns, it would be rather difficult to determine that the victim was armed.

 

[Standing Wolf]

No offense, but I don't really understand why this is supposed to matter to me.

It's supposed to matter because cops do a dirty, thankless, often exceedingly dangerous job, and sometimes end up having to take a lot of malarky for it. They're by no means the only people who risk their lives to keep us free: only the most visible.

 

[geekWithA.45]

First, a sincere moment of silence for the slain officers of the law.

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And now for some perspective:



LEO's, who's duty calls for them to chase down and duke it out with the scum of the earth, and thus find themselvs pretty consistently in proxminity danger, are slain by criminals at a rate of 60 or so a year.

LEOs are armed, and armored.

Civilians, who generally go about their business in "safe" places like banks, grocery stores, schools, public parks, and their own homes, are slain by criminals at a rate of (what's the accepted figure again?) 28,000 a year.

Civilians are on the whole NOT armed*, and rarely armored.

Doesn't this strike anyone as MESSED UP?

And yet, (again, with no disrespect to the folks in blue) it is "Officer Safety" that is appealled to for every single bleeping bit of gun bigotry legislation on the books.

It's pretty clear to me that the officers are plenty safe. The people aren't.


Gun bigots should be ashamed of themselves, and LEO's should stare at those numbers for a few minutes, and be absolutely enraged that they allow themselves to be the tool go the gun bigot lobby.


*I'm talking about on the street, ie, CCW rates, not overall gun ownership rates.

 

[Ryder]

51 cops killed with guns. 200,000,000+ guns in the US. Seems like guns aren't really a problem

I'd have to agree with that thought. This is an average of one officer per state per year. Numerically speaking, that's a lot safer job than I'd have ever guessed.

 

[c_yeager]

There are a number of jobs that are FAR more dangerous than police work. I bet some people do them without even realizing it. But, few occupations are more selfless and beneficial to the populace than that of police officers.

 

[TheeBadOne]

51 cops killed with guns. 200,000,000+ guns in the US. Seems like guns aren't really a problem

I'd have to agree with that thought. This is an average of one officer per state per year. Numerically speaking, that's a lot safer job than I'd have ever guessed.

Perhaps that year, but as also quoted:

There were 71 police slayings in 2001.

more than 58,000 law enforcement officers were assaulted in 2002

A sad testiment to the state of society today. (and more of a reason for all to have access to firearms)

 

[BluesBear]

I think the numbers ARE interesting AND they're gun related.

56 officers were SLAIN in 2002.

But "only" 51 were shot.

And 77 more were killed in accidents.


I find it interesting that more officers were killed in accidents than were shot. Now I admit that some of this is bcause of body armor and better training. But lets not forget that the antis always whine that CCW makes America more dangerous. They say that the police are worried about being shot by CCW holders at traffic stops and other such rubbish.

How many first time CCW were issued in 2002?
56 officers were slain in 2002.
I'll wager that not ONE officer was killed by a CCW holder.
The police chiefs who jump on the anti-gun bandwagon to further their political ambitions should look at the facts.
CCW DOES make America a more dangerous place... FOR BADGUYS!


The fact that any LEO died saddens me.
The fact that any good person dies also saddens me.
But such is life, you will never get out of it alive.
Everyone dies. It's how you lived that really matters.