Ambush Tactics Continue in 2013

To date, there have been 15 firearms-related law enforcement officer fatalities in 2013 and a majority of these were a result of ambush attacks. Ambushes have been on the rise nationally and present a chilling threat to our nation’s law enforcement officers. Beyond the raw numbers, many of these tragic killings have made national headlines, raising awareness of this danger:

• Assistant District Attorney Mark Haase of Kaufman County, Texas was shot as he walked to the courthouse after parking his car on January 31
• Officers Keith Lawrence, Michael Craine, and Jeremiah Mackay were all killed by a former Los Angeles police officer between February 3 and February 12
• Colorado Department of Corrections Executive Director Tom Clements was shot as he opened his front door on March 19
• District Attorney Mike McLelland of Kaufman County, Texas and his wife, Cynthia, were found shot to death in their home on March 30
• Sheriff Eugene Crum of Mingo County, West Virginia was ambushed in his police car as he ate lunch on April 3
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology Police Officer Sean Collier was killed by the suspected Boston bombers as he sat in his patrol vehicle on April 18

According to the VALOR Program's May Monthly Bulletin, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) statistics reveal that ambush situations made up the biggest category of circumstance in which 543 officers were feloniously killed between 2002 and 2011. This ambush tactic trend is one reason the VALOR program was created, providing free trainings to help ensure officer resilience and survivability in the event of violent encounters.

Keep an eye out for registration for upcoming VALOR trainings in your area to help prepare you to respond to ambush tactics like those that have tragically taken the lives of so many law enforcement officers this year.

• June 4–5, 2013: Newburgh, New York
• June 6–7, 2013: Rochester, New York
• July 11–12, 2013: Chicago, Illinois
• July 24–25, 2013: Sante Fe, New Mexico