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From the Los Angeles Times

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Rand retracts report on pot clinics and crime

Think tank says researchers failed to realize that data used in the study did not include LAPD statistics. It plans to recalculate its analysis.

by John Hoeffel, Los Angeles Times

October 24, 2011

In a rare move for one of the nation's most highly regarded research institutions, Rand Corp. on Monday retracted a controversial report on crime around Los Angeles medical marijuana dispensaries after realizing that it failed to include any crimes reported by the city's Police Department.

Researchers with the Santa Monica-based think tank used crime data compiled by a firm that collects information from about 1,200 law enforcement agencies, including the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, but not the LAPD.

"They made mistakes," said Debra Knopman, a Rand vice president and director of the infrastructure, safety and environment division. "What we're wrestling with is how the mistakes went undetected."

The extraordinary lapse has the esteemed institution closely examining how it reviews its research. The discredited report went through an internal and an external peer review.

"This is not something we take lightly," Knopman said. "This is a rare event, but it's happened, and it's absolutely leading us to take a renewed look at the procedures we follow."

Rand issues about 300 reports a year, and Knopman said she could recall only one other report that has been withdrawn in the last decade. She said Rand seriously considers all complaints about its research and added, "It's pretty rare that it leads to a retraction, very rare."

The study of crime data near dispensaries published last month led Rand researchers to suggest that the stores, which usually have guards and surveillance cameras, may help reduce crime in their neighborhoods.

Lawyers in the city attorney's office were outraged. They have been struggling to reduce the number of pot outlets and have argued that they are a threat to public safety. Special Assistant City Atty. Jane Usher and Assistant City Atty. Asha Greenberg complained that the report had "critical flaws," one of which was failing "to obtain or accurately report the available crime statistics."

"This is the right outcome," Usher said Monday. "Putting information that's not credible in front of the public and in front of policymakers does a disservice to everyone."

Medical marijuana advocates hoped to use the report to dispute allegations that dispensaries cause crime and had blasted Rand for buckling to political pressure when it took the report off its website two weeks ago while it reviewed the criticisms.

The Rand researchers relied on data posted by CrimeReports.com, which they mistakenly believed included LAPD data. Knopman said Rand was not blaming the website. She said Rand reviewers, digging deeply into the data, only recently discovered that it did not include LAPD reports.

Greg Whisenant, the Web company's chief executive, said he had never spoken with anyone from Rand, but would have told the researchers they didn't have the data they needed. "I think if they were going to cite us, they probably should have contacted us first," he said.

He said he could understand how the researchers might have made the mistake, but also said they ought to have noticed the lack of crime reported in Los Angeles as compared to other cities. "I think they should have been able to figure it out by seeing a huge pocket of no crime data," he said.

The researchers, led by Mireille Jacobson, a health economist, reviewed crime reports from the 10 days before the city's medical marijuana ordinance took effect on June 7, 2010, with the 10 days after, when at least some of the more than 400 illegal dispensaries shut down.

They found a 59% increase in crime within 0.3 of a mile of a closed dispensary compared to an open one. They did acknowledge that those results were subject to a large margin of error.

Usher and Greenberg criticized the researchers for not relying on LAPD crime data, but also questioned the short time frame and the assumption that dispensaries actually closed.

Knopman said Rand will obtain LAPD data and recalculate the analysis. She said Rand reviewers are still weighing the other criticisms and have not reached any conclusions. "We're going to take advantage of the chance to have a do-over here," she said.

Usher said she believes Rand will run up against the problem of not being able to determine whether dispensaries were open or closed in that period. "Without a fixed hand on that data point," she said, "we're not able to illuminate any crime trend."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rand-pot-study-20111025,0,2844501.story

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Testing students' knowledge of the civil rights movement

Are students not learning such an important part of U.S. history? The Southern Poverty Law Center has done groundbreaking work combating racism and prejudice. But its study simply doesn't stand up.

by Sam Wineburg

October 24, 2011

"Students' Knowledge of Civil Rights History Has Deteriorated," one headline announced. "Civil Rights Movement Education 'Dismal' in American Schools," declared another.

The alarming headlines, which appeared in newspapers across the country, grew out of a report released three weeks ago by the Southern Poverty Law Center, "Teaching the Movement," which claims that the civil rights movement is widely ignored in history classrooms. By not teaching it, the report claims, American education is "failing in its responsibility to educate its citizens to be agents of change." The study included a report card for individual states, and California got slapped with a big fat F.

But is it true? Are today's students really not learning about such an important part of U.S. history? The Southern Poverty Law Center has done groundbreaking work in combating racism and prejudice. But its new study simply doesn't stand up.

For starters, the report did not base its conclusions on any direct testing of student knowledge. Not a single student, not a single teacher, not a single principal answered a single question about their knowledge for this report. The closest we get to a live child — and even this is a stretch — comes from Julian Bond, who wrote the report's forward. Bond recounts that "some years ago" he gave a quiz to college students and found that none could identify George Wallace.

The report's writers turned to a proven recipe in our crisis-addicted society. First, they gathered up standards documents from all 50 states laying out what students at each grade level should study; then they conducted a "content analysis" to determine what's in these documents; next they landed a marquee figure to endorse the report; and finally, they invoked terms of impending doom and handed the final report to the PR department.

Had the report's writers bothered to talk to real kids, they might have found something closer to what we found in a national survey of 2,000 high school students, reported in the March 2008 Journal of American History. We gave students a blank sheet and asked them to write down the names of figures from "Columbus to the present day" who are the "most famous Americans in history, not including presidents or first ladies."

Surprisingly, teens rarely put down rock stars or sports idols for top picks. Instead, they listed legitimate historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison and Amelia Earhart. Three names, however, dominated the lists, appearing more often than any other heroes in U.S. history. Each of these figures comes straight from the civil rights movement: Martin Luther King Jr. (appearing on 67% of all lists), Rosa Parks (60%) and Harriet Tubman (44%).

The only actual evidence of students' ignorance produced by "Teaching the Movement" comes not from the report but from the National Assessment of Educational Progress history exam, released in June, which found that "only 2% of high school seniors in 2010 could answer a simple question about the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision."

If this is right, we should be alarmed. But put yourself in the place of a kid taking a 50-minute test with 159 multiple-choice and short-answer questions. You hit a question containing the phrase "in the field of public education separate but equal has no place" and are asked to "describe the conditions that this 1954 decision was designed to correct." Here's a sample response: "The Brown girl had to walk past the white school every day to get to her 'equal' black school. Her father took the issue to court — separate but equal is not really equal."

Not too shabby, right?

Sorry. According to NAEP scorers, the answer is denied full credit because "it does not say that the Brown case was meant to desegregate schools specifically." Yet, if students are so dumb about Brown, how do we explain this finding: When given a multiple-choice question about which decision Brown overturned, 51% correctly chose Plessy v. Ferguson.

When the sky is falling, headlines reading "Majority of American Students Successfully Identify Important Court Ruling" won't do it. Nor would it do to mention that the NAEP's U.S. History Framework includes civil rights as a theme at all levels of instruction.

I agree with "Teaching the Movement" that students should learn more about civil rights. While they're at it, have them learn more about the Constitutional Convention, the establishment clause, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the waves of immigration in the 1890s, the New Deal and a host of other topics. Sadly, under No Child Left Behind, history has been pushed to the side in many schools.

But we don't fix this by cooking up reports that smear students when not a single one of them was queried.

That's not research. It's libel.

Sam Wineburg is a professor of education and history at Stanford University and the author of "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-wineburg-civil-rights-education-20111024,0,5267952.story

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From Google News

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Fla. welfare drug test law blocked

by Tim Mak

A federal judge ordered a temporary halt Monday to a Florida law backed by Gov. Rick Scott that requires those seeking welfare benefits to pass a drug test, the AP reports.

Judge Mary Scriven, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, ruled that the law may violate the Constitution's protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Scriven expressed concern that drug tests were not kept confidential, and that they could be shared with law enforcement officers. The judge noted also that the tests can also reveal private information about an individual's medical issues.

The law's temporary injunction will remain until the judge can hold a full hearing on the matter, but it is not immediately clear when that will be.

The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU, which teamed up with 35-year-old Navy veteran and University of Central Florida student Luis Lebron, who receives welfare but has refused to take the drug test.

Lebron indicated that he was pleased with the progress of the lawsuit, telling that AP that he's “happy that the judge stood up for me and my rights and said the state can't act without a reason or suspicion.”

Scott made the policy a promise during his campaign, and fulfilled the promise by signing the drug testing requirement into law in May of this year.

“Drug testing welfare recipients is just a common-sense way to ensure that welfare dollars are used to help children and get parents back to work,” Jackie Schutz, a spokeswoman for Scott, told the AP. “The governor obviously disagrees with the decision and he will evaluate his options regarding when to appeal.”

Scott had also put into place a new policy that would have required drug testing of new state employees, as well as spot checks of existing state employees. Testing for this initiative was also suspended after the ACLU filed a lawsuit challenging the policy in a separate lawsuit.

Florida is the first state to enact a law requiring drug testing for welfare applicants in over a decade. In 1999, Michigan passed a random drug testing program for welfare recipients, only to see it later ruled unconstitutional by a federal court after a four-year legal battle.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/66773.html

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Florida

Community Policing Credited in Tracking Murder Suspects

Bradenton Police have been building relationships with residents and businesses. On Saturday, the community helped solve the city's second murder of the year.

by Toni Whitt

It took just 15 hours for Bradenton detectives to solve what seemed to be a ? random shooting death early Saturday. Detectives had arrested suspects and gotten a confession by 9 p.m. Saturday night, according to the police report.

Catching the suspects happened quickly, but solving the case was based on years of work to build relationships and trust between neighborhoods and police.

Charles A. Brown, 25, of Palmetto, and Tarvin L. Martin Jr., 23, of Bradenton, were charged with second degree murder in connection to the shooting of a motorist in east Bradenton. It is the city's second murder of 2011.

Police say residents were open to the request by police for help after the shooting. Businesses were eager to provide surveillance video, because they knew police as helpful since they frequently check in to make sure everything is all right.

"Our philosophy has paid off," Chief Michael Radzilowski said. "The vast majority of the department has bought into it. It's all about partnership, and it has to be in concert with community and businesses."

Cops in the Community

The Bradenton Police Department implemented community policing in 2003 when Radzilowski came to Bradenton from Washington, D.C. Today community policing extends from the rank and file to top leaders.

Officers are in the same neighborhood day after day, so they get to know the neighborhood.

"They know who is there and the cars that are there," Radzilowski said.

The program is designed to prevent crime. It worked like a charm Saturday to solve a crime. The neighborhood and local businesses worked with police to track down the two suspects connected to the fatal shooting in an east Bradenton neighborhood. The victim's name has not been released yet, pending notification of next of kin.

Fewer Cops, Bigger Impact

The chief said that community policing has allowed him to reduce the crime rate even with fewer police officers than other departments. Crime statistics show that Bradenton's crime rate is lower than Sarasota's, even though the police department is smaller.

Officers are on the streets and sidewalks. They are riding bikes and travelling on Segways. The travel in cars rarely because they want to be accessible to people in the businesses. They want to be approachable to everyone, including kids in the neighborhoods.

Officer Troy Masterson rides his Segway through downtown and surrounding areas. He doesn't go far before someone stops his to ask about the vehicle.

The vehicle makes him approachable when nothing is going on and it helps Masterson build relationships throughout his district that are helpful when there's an issue or a problem with crime.

Masterson said he likes the community policing philosophy because it "opens people up to be more personalbe with officers."

They share information and "information is power in our jobs," he said.He said the vehicle also attracts kids and helps open up conversations with some who mmight be afraid to talk to him otherwise.

Community policing is natural for Officer Timothy Gunst who was awarded a bronze star for his service in Iraq when he was part of a team that helped to save 14 Marines under fire.

Gunst's mission in the Army was to help build relationships and trust with the people of Iraq who often viewed the members of the military as occupiers, rather than liberators, Gunst said.

Working a district that includes 13th and 14th Streets West also required Gunst to win the trust of people who had been besieged by crime and who initially didn't trust that the police cared about their community.

By building relationships, finding out about their lives and answering their calls personally, Gunst was able to work with people in the neighborhood to make 14 arrests.

Brent Sohenour, who owns the Gator Lounge on 14th Street West said that the community policing has made a difference for his business. He said he has had fewer problems with the people who come in to his business and that has meant more people patronizing his business overall.

Sohenour has Gunst's cell phone number. If he says a crime happening he can call the officer anytime. He tells people to call anytime and he will have someone with the department meet them if he is not on duty. If he is on duty, he responds to their calls personally.

"If you don't do that then they truly won't see the benefit," Gunst said. "For me to be effective, I have to be available."

http://bradenton.patch.com/articles/community-policing-pays-off-in-solving-weekend-murder

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From the Department of Justice

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Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference

Chicago ~ October 24, 2011

Thank you, Mark [Marshall]. It is an honor to stand with you today – and to salute the leadership that you have provided over the past year, as well as the example that you have set for IACP's next President.

Every person in this room – and, especially, the leaders on this stage – can be proud of the fact that, as IACP “forges forward” and begins an exciting new chapter, this association is starting from a position of strength. Not only is IACP our nation's oldest and largest law enforcement organization. It is also the most influential, and – many would argue – the most essential.

Although I know he'd never claim his share of credit for this achievement, the progress that IACP has made – and helped to lead – in recent years simply would not have been possible without Dan Rosenblatt. Throughout his 25 years as Executive Director, Dan has breathed new life into the IACP's founding principles of collaboration, innovation, and integrity. He has also served as an essential partner to our nation's Department of Justice.

During my tenure as Deputy Attorney General and now as Attorney General, Dan has been a trusted advisor to me – and a tireless advocate for law enforcement officials nationwide. He has called attention to the need for cutting-edge research and tools; paved the way for new levels of cooperation, transparency, and efficiency; and helped to drive significant improvements in national public safety efforts.

Dan, I am grateful to count you as a steadfast colleague and a good friend. And I am proud to join with IACP's Board of Directors, leadership team, members, and many supporters in thanking you for your service – and your enduring contributions.

I also want to thank you for, once again, including me in this annual conference. Each year, I look forward to this event – and to the opportunity to hear from, and to learn from, some of the most active and effective police chiefs in the country, as well as law enforcement innovators from around the world.

But, above all, I appreciate the chance to say “thank you” – in person, and on behalf of the entire Justice Department and Obama Administration – to each and every one of you.

As our nation's Attorney General, as a prosecutor and former judge, and as the brother of a retired police officer, I am extremely grateful – for your service, for your courage, for your commitment to the objectives that we share, and for your contributions to the achievements that we celebrate this week.

When I look back at the goals we set two years ago in Denver, and at the initiatives we unveiled last year in Orlando, it's clear that what we have accomplished together – in the face of unprecedented threats and economic challenges – is nothing short of historic.

Because of your efforts, national crime trends are heading in the right direction. In our inner cities, rural areas, and tribal communities, neighborhoods have been transformed. Countless lives have been improved and saved. And, despite growing budget constraints and increasing demands, so many of your precincts and departments are not simply surviving. They are thriving.

In fulfilling your essential duties, you've also proven the power and importance of recent investments in research and technology. You've shown how the critical work of state and local Fusion Centers and Joint Terrorism Task Forces is making a difference – and allowing law enforcement officers at all levels, and across borders and jurisdictions, to communicate more quickly and “connect the dots” more effectively.

I'm especially proud of your efforts to ensure the success of the Law Enforcement National Data Exchange – what we all call “N-DEx” – as well as the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative, known as “NSI.” The Bureau of Justice Assistance is leading the way on NSI – and administering this vital initiative in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security.

In launching NSI two year ago, we were guided by three key principles: partnership, prevention, and the protection of privacy and civil liberties. By fostering increased partnership among law enforcement agencies, as well as private-sector entities, NSI is allowing officers to connect suspicious, but seemingly disparate, pieces of information. As a result, potential terror attacks are being identified – and prevented. And NSI's strong privacy and civil rights protections are reinforcing the fact that effective security efforts need not compromise our most essential values.

I hope – and I expect – that you will continue to make suspicious activity reporting a priority, and a common practice, in the departments you lead. And I assure you that the Justice Department will continue to support – and work to enhance and expand – your ability to do just that.

We'll also keep up – and build on – current efforts to provide you with access to the cutting-edge tools and information-sharing capabilities that you need. I know that, this week, you'll be learning more about some of the innovations already underway – including the FBI's new public safety applications – that, I believe, will help take your work to the next level.

And when it comes to meeting your communications needs, let me assure you that the Justice Department has not – and will not – let up on our efforts to ensure that you have meaningful, affordable access to radio spectrum when and where you need it. This is my promise.

With outstanding leadership from Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson and her team in the Office of Justice Programs, and from Director Barney Melekian and his colleagues in our COPS Office – we're continuing to work in partnership with the White House and the Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce to advance discussions concerning the public safety broadband network and the future of the D-Block. And – for as long as it takes – we'll continue bringing together policymakers and leaders from law enforcement, the broader public safety community, and the telecommunications industry to determine a path forward.

That's because, at every level of the Justice Department, we understand that our ongoing success will depend on how well we support – and effectively partner with – federal, state, local, tribal, and even international, law enforcement agencies. We also recognize that tomorrow's progress will depend on our ability – through initiatives ranging from our OJP grant programs, to the COPS hiring program, to President Obama's proposed American Jobs Act – to save and create first responder jobs; and to provide the resources necessary to help you do your jobs effectively – and safely.

Of course – as cities, states, and counties confront once-in-a-century financial constraints – this has never been more difficult. Across the country, mayors, sheriffs, and chiefs have been asked – not only to do more with less – but also to make painful budgetary cuts.

According to a new economic outlook report that our COPS office released this week – we expect that, by the end of this year, nearly 12,000 police officers and sheriff's deputies will have been laid off. This report is available online; or from the COPS team at Booth #2055; or from Director Melekian, who's carrying several copies around – in fact, Barney, could you hold one up for us, please?

The findings included in this new report show that law enforcement agencies nationwide have nearly 30,000 unfilled vacancies . In 25 years of collecting data, we are now seeing the first-ever national decrease in law enforcement positions.

But block by block, city by city, department by department, the Administration is determined – and I am determined – to help build capacity, to enable our law enforcement partners to make the most of precious resources, and to encourage their most promising and effective public safety efforts. In advancing these goals, I am proud to report that, last month, Director Melekian announced more than $240 million in new COPS Office grants to support the hiring and retention of more than a thousand officers in 238 agencies and municipalities across the country.

And while I'm excited to see what many of you will be able to accomplish with these investments – we have not, and will not, forget about the remaining 2,300 agencies that also submitted worthy grant applications. In fact, total requests for COPS hiring dollars were over $2 billion – a staggering demand when compared to the funds allocated this year.

Today, some of you are looking hopefully to the President's proposed jobs bill, which would offer $4 billion for law enforcement hiring through the COPS Office. The Senate has proposed $200 million; and the House has zeroed out the allocation completely. That is a dangerous, drastic and unacceptable gap – one that can't be closed without your immediate attention and assistance.

I know that many of you are now working – through IACP and through your individual departments – to help tip the balance and ensure the future of COPS Office funding. This is not an effort for next year. This is not something that can wait. And, no matter what, I assure you that the Justice Department is – and will continue to be – engaged in working to bring our law enforcement partners the resources that you need and deserve.

But, in addition to helping you meet your most urgent needs, I also want to assure you that the Department remains committed to your ongoing success – as well as your safety.

Since we gathered for last year's conference, our nation has mourned the loss of 175 officers. Law enforcement fatalities are nearly 20 percent higher than this time last year. And gunfire deaths have increased by nearly 30 percent. Today, line-of-duty officer deaths are approaching the highest rates we've seen in almost two decades.

This is a devastating and unacceptable trend. And each of these deaths is a tragic reminder of the threats that law enforcement officers face each day – and the fact that too many guns have fallen into the hands of those who are not legally permitted to possess them.

Here in Chicago, last November, you experienced the most violent week against law enforcement in this city's history. And, like so many other departments represented here today, you have mourned the loss of too many dedicated colleagues – and friends.

But I am proud to say that the Justice Department is determined – and I am determined – to turn back this rising tide, to meet increased violence with renewed vigilance, and to do everything within our power – and use every tool at our disposal – to keep you and your colleagues safe.

That's a promise – one that the Department is backing up with critical new programs – including our Officer Safety Initiative. Many of you are already familiar with the training programs and information-sharing platforms it is promoting. For those who aren't, I encourage you to visit the initiative's new website, which we launched just last week. In case Laurie hasn't already given you the address, it's: www.bja.gov/officersafety.

Beyond this, in partnership with the COPS Office – as well as IACP and other leading law enforcement organizations – BJA has established the Officer Safety & Wellness Working Group, which – I'm pleased to report – met for the first time several weeks ago. We're also standing behind this commitment with significant, strategic investments – to numerous officer safety programs, including BJA's Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program.

In just the first eight months of this year, body armor saved the lives of more than 20 law enforcement and corrections officers – and half of these vests were purchased with the help of BVP funds. In addition to this life-saving program, we also are seeing promising results from the VALOR initiative that I announced at last year's conference.

Through VALOR, the Department is supporting much-needed research and analysis of violent encounters, as well as officer deaths and injuries. This information will be used to provide law enforcement with the latest information, and the most effective tools and training, to respond to a range of threats – including ambush-style assaults.

VALOR also includes an award of $800,000 that has been allocated to develop training and technical assistance programs – and resources like the Officer Safety Toolkit, which we released this year – to help officers learn how to anticipate and survive violent encounters.

We've also made significant investments to help launch the Center for the Prevention of Violence Against the Police, and to provide additional support for the families of law enforcement officers – especially in times of tragedy. And I'm proud to report that we have expanded the Department's Smart Policing program – a true success story in fighting crime with innovative and evidence-based strategies – to 12 new sites. This brings the total number of demonstration sites to 28. And, every day, their work is advancing the Department's ongoing efforts to be, not just tough, but smart on crime.

Of course, this progress has not come easily. It is the product of your leadership and partnership – and the tireless efforts that Laurie, Barney, their teams, and so many others across the Department have provided.

But – as proud as we are of what has been achieved in recent years – let me assure you: we are not yet satisfied. And, at every level of the Justice Department, we – I -- will never stop fighting for you.

Although I realize that we have a great deal of work before us – and more obstacles than we would like to see – as I look around this room, I can't help but feel optimistic.

You represent the very best of our nation's law enforcement community. And, in big cities and small towns all across the country, you have proven that – if we commit ourselves to it – progress is possible. And even the largest and most persistent obstacles can be overcome.

I am proud to count each of you as my colleagues and partners. I am honored to join you in strengthening the work that – for nearly 120 years – IACP has helped to advance. I look forward to seeing you all in San Diego next year. But more than anything, I am excited about what we can, and will, accomplish – together – in the days ahead.

Thank you.

http://www.justice.gov/iso/opa/ag/speeches/2011/ag-speech-111024.html

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From the FBI

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In the Line of Duty

56 Officers Feloniously Killed in 2010

10/24/11

Fifty-six law enforcement officers in 22 states and Puerto Rico were feloniously killed in 2010, and more than 53,000 officers were assaulted during the same period, according to statistics released by the FBI.

The annual Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted report released today offers the most complete public picture of the fatal circumstances that officers faced in 2010. In chilling detail, the report summarizes most of last year's fatal confrontations and illustrates a reality that every officer continually trains to recognize: that there are no routine engagements. Among the scenarios:

• Two West Memphis Police Department officers were killed during a traffic stop when a 16-year-old passenger exited the vehicle and opened fire with a semiautomatic rifle.
  
  
• A Chicago Police Department officer at the end of his shift was removing his gear near his car in the department's parking lot when a man ambushed the 43-year-old officer and shot him with his own weapon.
  
  
• A 62-year-old deputy sheriff in Mississippi was shot and killed by an uncooperative suspect while responding to a domestic disturbance call.

Information in the report, which is collected each year through the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, is intended to provide law enforcement agencies with detailed descriptions of the circumstances leading up to officer fatalities. The data can then be incorporated into tactical training.

“Only when detectives, use-of-force investigators, supervisors and administrators examine the various components of the deadly mix will a greater understanding of these encounters emerge,” FBI researchers wrote in a study called Violent Encounters, an in-depth look at years of fatal altercations like those in today's report. “To make an objective assessment of each case, it is necessary to carefully and completely examine all aspects of the incident thus allowing the facts to surface.”

The 56 officers killed is an increase over 2009, when 48 officers were killed. However, significant conclusions may not be drawn from year-to-year comparisons given the nature of the statistics. Ten years ago, for example, 70 officers were killed in the line of duty (excluding the events of 9/11), and five years ago 48 officers were feloniously killed.

The 2010 report also shows 72 officers were accidently killed in the line of duty, almost all of them involving vehicles. Meanwhile, 53,469 officers were assaulted while on duty—a figure that amounts to one in 10 of the sworn officers in more than 11,000 agencies that reported data.

All told, the figures illustrate the inherent dangers of law enforcement. Here's a look at some of the data contained in the report:

• Offenders used firearms to kill all but one of the 56 victim officers; one officer was killed by a vehicle used as a weapon.
  
  
• Of the 56 officers feloniously killed, 15 were ambushed, 14 were in arrest situations, seven were performing traffic stops, and six were answering disturbance calls.
  
  
• One in three officer assaults occurred while responding to disturbance calls; 14.7 percent occurred while officers were attempting arrests.
  
  
• The average age of officers killed feloniously and accidentally was, respectively, 38 and 39.

The UCR Program, part of the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, has been collecting and publishing law enforcement statistics since 1937, most notably the annual Crime in the United States reports. In 1972, the FBI began producing detailed reports on officer fatalities after the larger law enforcement community sought the Bureau's involvement in preventing and investigating officer deaths.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2011/october/leoka_102411/leoka_102411

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