District of Columbia Councilmember Mary Cheh was there, speaking eloquently and passionately about the importance of honoring fallen law enforcement officers and remembering the families they leave behind. Her brother-in-law, Rahway (NJ) Police Officer John Jimmy Burns, was killed in the line of duty in January 1971, his name engraved on Panel 62-West of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
DC Metropolitan Police Sergeant Nicholas Breul and members of his family were there, too. As his department’s historian, Sergeant Breul works to preserve and share the proud history of the lead law enforcement agency in the nation’s capital.
And approximately five dozen members of Session 235 of the FBI National Academy came out as well – law enforcement leaders from across the country who took a break from their studies at the FBI training facility in Quantico, VA, to support a cause they deeply believe in.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Wreathlaying Video Now Online!
NEW VIDEO! Use the VIDEO BAR on the right side of the page to watch footage of the Wreathlaying Ceremony, or go to YouTube profile: TheNLEOMF.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
AG Mukasey, Law Enforcement Officers and Survivors Mark the 17th Anniversary of Memorial
Wreathlaying Day ceremony commemorates the 1991 dedication of national monument to fallen officers. Use VIDEO BAR on the right to watch video from the event.
Washington, DC — With U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey leading the tributes, loved ones and colleagues of law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice gathered in the nation's capital Wednesday to mark the 17th anniversary of the dedication of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Attorney General Mukasey joined Jennifer Thacker, national president of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), in laying a wreath, and surviving family members and law enforcement officials placed roses at the center medallion of the Memorial in honor of America's fallen officers.
Created as the nation's monument to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was dedicated on October 15, 1991. President George H.W. Bush led the dedication ceremony.
Washington, DC — With U.S. Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey leading the tributes, loved ones and colleagues of law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice gathered in the nation's capital Wednesday to mark the 17th anniversary of the dedication of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Attorney General Mukasey joined Jennifer Thacker, national president of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), in laying a wreath, and surviving family members and law enforcement officials placed roses at the center medallion of the Memorial in honor of America's fallen officers.
Created as the nation's monument to law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was dedicated on October 15, 1991. President George H.W. Bush led the dedication ceremony.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Crime May be Down, but Police Chiefs Still Worry about Officer Safety
By Kevin Morison
NLEOMF
Approximately 175 police chiefs, sheriffs, mayors, law enforcement policymakers and practitioners from across the country came together in Washington, DC, yesterday to discuss the state of crime in the U.S. and to help map out a crime-fighting agenda for the future. Organized by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the National Violent Crime Summit covered a wide range of topics, including some issues related to law enforcement officer safety.
Executive Director Chuck Wexler discussed the results of PERF’s analysis of preliminary crime statistics in approximately 200 jurisdictions. In general, the study showed that violent crime appeared to decline during the first half of 2008, although Mr. Wexler noted that the statistics were collected before the full impact of the current financial crisis was felt.
Even though overall crime may be down, a number of chiefs cited violence against their officers as a continuing concern. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey reported that assaults against his officers are up 18 percent this year and that four officers have been killed violently over the past 12 months, including one officer shot with a high-powered SKS rifle.
Miami Police Chief John Timoney, who also serves as PERF’s president, cited the growing threat of assault weapons in south Florida. He said that 22 percent of the murders in his city last year were committed with AK-47s and that two south Florida law enforcement officers were killed with assault rifles last year. Similarly, Police Superintendent Warren Riley said 15 percent of the homicides committed in New Orleans now involve assault weapons, and he, too, worries about the impact on officer safety of so many high-powered weapons on the streets.
Several chiefs sounded a two-pronged alarm about the current financial crisis. On the one hand, they worry that as more people lose their jobs, both property and violent crime may rise. At the same time, tight municipal budgets could force some departments to cut the number of sworn officers, thus exposing safety concerns for their personnel.
As part of its survey of American cities, PERF asked police executives to identify their top programmatic and funding priorities for the next administration in Washington. Yesterday’s summit also included presentations by the two major Presidential campaigns concerning their views on crime control. George Terwilliger, deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, represented the campaign of Senator John McCain. Eric Holder, deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton, represented the campaign of Senator Barack Obama.
Later this year, PERF plans to publish a report on the National Violent Crime Summit, part of its 2008 Critical Issues in Policing Series, which is supported by Motorola. Based in Washington, DC, PERF is one of the founding board member organizations of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
NLEOMF
Approximately 175 police chiefs, sheriffs, mayors, law enforcement policymakers and practitioners from across the country came together in Washington, DC, yesterday to discuss the state of crime in the U.S. and to help map out a crime-fighting agenda for the future. Organized by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), the National Violent Crime Summit covered a wide range of topics, including some issues related to law enforcement officer safety.
Executive Director Chuck Wexler discussed the results of PERF’s analysis of preliminary crime statistics in approximately 200 jurisdictions. In general, the study showed that violent crime appeared to decline during the first half of 2008, although Mr. Wexler noted that the statistics were collected before the full impact of the current financial crisis was felt.
Even though overall crime may be down, a number of chiefs cited violence against their officers as a continuing concern. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey reported that assaults against his officers are up 18 percent this year and that four officers have been killed violently over the past 12 months, including one officer shot with a high-powered SKS rifle.
Miami Police Chief John Timoney, who also serves as PERF’s president, cited the growing threat of assault weapons in south Florida. He said that 22 percent of the murders in his city last year were committed with AK-47s and that two south Florida law enforcement officers were killed with assault rifles last year. Similarly, Police Superintendent Warren Riley said 15 percent of the homicides committed in New Orleans now involve assault weapons, and he, too, worries about the impact on officer safety of so many high-powered weapons on the streets.
Several chiefs sounded a two-pronged alarm about the current financial crisis. On the one hand, they worry that as more people lose their jobs, both property and violent crime may rise. At the same time, tight municipal budgets could force some departments to cut the number of sworn officers, thus exposing safety concerns for their personnel.
As part of its survey of American cities, PERF asked police executives to identify their top programmatic and funding priorities for the next administration in Washington. Yesterday’s summit also included presentations by the two major Presidential campaigns concerning their views on crime control. George Terwilliger, deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, represented the campaign of Senator John McCain. Eric Holder, deputy attorney general under President Bill Clinton, represented the campaign of Senator Barack Obama.
Later this year, PERF plans to publish a report on the National Violent Crime Summit, part of its 2008 Critical Issues in Policing Series, which is supported by Motorola. Based in Washington, DC, PERF is one of the founding board member organizations of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Maryland Enacts New Protections for Transit Officers
The state of Maryland has taken an important step to help protect Metro Transit Police officers within its jurisdiction. Effective October 1, it became a felony under Maryland law to assault a Metro Transit Police officer. Previously, such crimes were considered a misdemeanor offense.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed the legislation, which includes Metro Transit Police officers under the state’s Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is the public transit system that operates subways and buses in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia. Assaulting a Metro Transit Police officer was already considered a felony in DC and Virginia.
“We’re pleased to see this new law go into effect. The safety of our officers is of utmost concern. We hope that the law deters assaults on Metro Transit police officers and keeps offenders out of the Metro system,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn.
The move comes as attacks on all Metro employees seem to be on the rise. In March, WMATA General Manager John Catoe reported that attacks on Metrobus operators have more than doubled during the past five years.
In the history of the Metro Transit Police, two officers have been killed in the line of duty. On December 19, 1993, Officer Harry Davis Jr. was shot several times outside the Metro station in Landover, MD, as he questioned two people who were sitting in a vehicle that was reported stolen; Officer Davis died the next day.
On June 10, 2001, Officer Marlon Morales was shot when he confronted a fare jumper at the U Street-Cardozo Metro station in northwest DC. He succumbed to his wounds three days later.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial includes the names of both Officer Davis (Panel 42 West-Line 19) and Officer Morales (Panel 4 East-Line 22). Let’s hope that through efforts such as the new Maryland law, Metro Transit Police officers will be able to work more effectively and more safely.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley signed the legislation, which includes Metro Transit Police officers under the state’s Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is the public transit system that operates subways and buses in the District of Columbia and surrounding areas of Maryland and Virginia. Assaulting a Metro Transit Police officer was already considered a felony in DC and Virginia.
“We’re pleased to see this new law go into effect. The safety of our officers is of utmost concern. We hope that the law deters assaults on Metro Transit police officers and keeps offenders out of the Metro system,” said Metro Transit Police Chief Michael Taborn.
The move comes as attacks on all Metro employees seem to be on the rise. In March, WMATA General Manager John Catoe reported that attacks on Metrobus operators have more than doubled during the past five years.
In the history of the Metro Transit Police, two officers have been killed in the line of duty. On December 19, 1993, Officer Harry Davis Jr. was shot several times outside the Metro station in Landover, MD, as he questioned two people who were sitting in a vehicle that was reported stolen; Officer Davis died the next day.
On June 10, 2001, Officer Marlon Morales was shot when he confronted a fare jumper at the U Street-Cardozo Metro station in northwest DC. He succumbed to his wounds three days later.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial includes the names of both Officer Davis (Panel 42 West-Line 19) and Officer Morales (Panel 4 East-Line 22). Let’s hope that through efforts such as the new Maryland law, Metro Transit Police officers will be able to work more effectively and more safely.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
A Deadly Three Months for U.S. Law Enforcement
As thousands of mourners packed the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul or watched on a huge screen erected in Logan Circle across the street, the Philadelphia Police Department laid to rest another fallen hero Tuesday morning. The funeral of Sergeant Patrick McDonald was a sad and poignant end to a deadly three months for American law enforcement.
A member of Philadelphia’s elite Highway Patrol, Sergeant McDonald was brutally executed on a North Philadelphia street September 23rd by a career criminal who had just recently received an early release from prison and already had an outstanding warrant for assaulting another police officer. He was the second Philadelphia Police officer to die in the line of duty during the month of September alone. Officer Isabel Nazario was killed September 5th when the police cruiser she was riding in was broadsided by an SUV driven by an intoxicated 16 year old . Including Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski (EOW: May 3, 2008) and Officer Charles Cassidy (EOW: November 1, 2007), four Philadelphia Police officers have died in the line of duty in the past 11 months.
As Commissioner Charles Ramsey said during Sergeant McDonald's funeral, Philadelphia Police are feeling “disbelief, anger and sadness” right now.
And, tragically, they are not alone.
Over the last three months (July 1 and September 30, 2008), a total of 44 U.S. law enforcement officers died in the line of duty, according to preliminary data from the NLEOMF. That translates into about one officer killed every 50 hours nationwide. By contrast, between January 1 and June 30 of this year, 61 officers died – or about one fatality every 72 hours.
More, and more brutal, killings
Officer fatalities are still down sharply from 2007, which was one of the deadliest years for law enforcement in the past two decades. But the reduction in fatalities this year – an encouraging 40 percent as of June 30th – was only 25 percent by September 30th. After six months of steady declines, the 44 officers killed during the third quarter of this year represented a 10 percent increase from the 40 officers who died during the same period of 2007.
Not just the number, but also the brutality of some of the killings, seems to have intensified of late. On September 6th, Sergeant Paul Starzyk of the Martinez (CA) Police Department was shot and killed during a gun battle at a hair salon where the estranged husband of an employee had gone with a gun looking for his wife. On September 19th, Caldwell County (NC) Deputy Sheriff Adam Klutz was ambushed and fatally shot as he exited his patrol vehicle after responding to 9-1-1 hang-up call at a residence. One day later, Officer Kristine Fairbanks of the USDA Forest Service, died from a single gunshot wound to the head after she stopped to investigate a suspicious vehicle on Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
Two officers killed in Chicago
And on September 28th, Chicago Police Officer Nathaniel Taylor was gunned down on the city’s South Side attempting to serve a warrant at the suspect’s residence. Ironically – and tragically – the same suspect had fired shots at police in the very same neighborhood 18 years earlier, an offense for which he served three years in prison.
Officer Taylor’s death was the last of the 42 that occurred during the third quarter of the year. The Chicago Police Department also experienced the first line-of-duty death during that period. On July 2nd, Officer Richard Francis was shot and killed with his service weapon after responding to a disturbance call on a Chicago Transit Authority bus near the Belmont District station where we worked on the city’s North Side.
Of the 44 officers who died during the past three months, 13 were shot, 21 were killed in traffic-related incidents, and two – both members of the Maryland State Police – died in a helicopter crash.
Fulfilling our mission
Three months ago, when officer fatalities were down 40 percent for the year, the NLEOMF cautioned that it was too early to “declare victory.” Now that fatalities have edged up over the past three months should be cause for concern, but not necessarily viewed as the beginning of a new and deadly trend.
Consistent with our mission to “provide information that will help promote law enforcement safety,” the NLEOMF will continue to monitor and report on the latest trends in officer deaths and safety issues.
A member of Philadelphia’s elite Highway Patrol, Sergeant McDonald was brutally executed on a North Philadelphia street September 23rd by a career criminal who had just recently received an early release from prison and already had an outstanding warrant for assaulting another police officer. He was the second Philadelphia Police officer to die in the line of duty during the month of September alone. Officer Isabel Nazario was killed September 5th when the police cruiser she was riding in was broadsided by an SUV driven by an intoxicated 16 year old . Including Sergeant Stephen Liczbinski (EOW: May 3, 2008) and Officer Charles Cassidy (EOW: November 1, 2007), four Philadelphia Police officers have died in the line of duty in the past 11 months.
As Commissioner Charles Ramsey said during Sergeant McDonald's funeral, Philadelphia Police are feeling “disbelief, anger and sadness” right now.
And, tragically, they are not alone.
Over the last three months (July 1 and September 30, 2008), a total of 44 U.S. law enforcement officers died in the line of duty, according to preliminary data from the NLEOMF. That translates into about one officer killed every 50 hours nationwide. By contrast, between January 1 and June 30 of this year, 61 officers died – or about one fatality every 72 hours.
More, and more brutal, killings
Officer fatalities are still down sharply from 2007, which was one of the deadliest years for law enforcement in the past two decades. But the reduction in fatalities this year – an encouraging 40 percent as of June 30th – was only 25 percent by September 30th. After six months of steady declines, the 44 officers killed during the third quarter of this year represented a 10 percent increase from the 40 officers who died during the same period of 2007.
Not just the number, but also the brutality of some of the killings, seems to have intensified of late. On September 6th, Sergeant Paul Starzyk of the Martinez (CA) Police Department was shot and killed during a gun battle at a hair salon where the estranged husband of an employee had gone with a gun looking for his wife. On September 19th, Caldwell County (NC) Deputy Sheriff Adam Klutz was ambushed and fatally shot as he exited his patrol vehicle after responding to 9-1-1 hang-up call at a residence. One day later, Officer Kristine Fairbanks of the USDA Forest Service, died from a single gunshot wound to the head after she stopped to investigate a suspicious vehicle on Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.
Two officers killed in Chicago
And on September 28th, Chicago Police Officer Nathaniel Taylor was gunned down on the city’s South Side attempting to serve a warrant at the suspect’s residence. Ironically – and tragically – the same suspect had fired shots at police in the very same neighborhood 18 years earlier, an offense for which he served three years in prison.
Officer Taylor’s death was the last of the 42 that occurred during the third quarter of the year. The Chicago Police Department also experienced the first line-of-duty death during that period. On July 2nd, Officer Richard Francis was shot and killed with his service weapon after responding to a disturbance call on a Chicago Transit Authority bus near the Belmont District station where we worked on the city’s North Side.
Of the 44 officers who died during the past three months, 13 were shot, 21 were killed in traffic-related incidents, and two – both members of the Maryland State Police – died in a helicopter crash.
Fulfilling our mission
Three months ago, when officer fatalities were down 40 percent for the year, the NLEOMF cautioned that it was too early to “declare victory.” Now that fatalities have edged up over the past three months should be cause for concern, but not necessarily viewed as the beginning of a new and deadly trend.
Consistent with our mission to “provide information that will help promote law enforcement safety,” the NLEOMF will continue to monitor and report on the latest trends in officer deaths and safety issues.
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