Officer Safety on our Roadways

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Egbert Bryan Robbins
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1 Lifesavers 30th National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities Officer Safety on our Roadways June 15, 2012 Craig W. Floyd Chairman & CEO National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

2 Memorial Fund Mission The mission of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is to generate increased public support for the law enforcement profession by permanently recording and appropriately commemorating the service and sacrifice of law enforcement officers; and to provide information that will help promote law enforcement safety. 2

3 Did you know? On average, a law enforcement officer is killed somewhere in the U.S. every 54 hours There are some 60,000 criminal assaults against our officers every year, resulting in 16,000 injuries STILL... some 800,000 federal, state, local, tribal and territorial officers go out every day and risk their lives for our safety and protection 3

4 National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial 4

National Police Week May 13-19, 2012 25,000 people attended attended 362 names added to the

5 National Police Week May 13-19, ,000 people attended attended 362 names added to the Memorial this year 163 from 2011 and 199 from earlier years Total of 19,660 names now on Memorial 5

7 7 National Law Enforcement Museum

8 The Need for a Museum Only 1 out of 5 Americans have any contact with a law enforcement professional Strengthen public safety partnership between officers and citizens/businesses Law enforcement is absolutely essential in a free and democratic society Need to know stories behind the names 8

9 National Law Enforcement Museum Vision Three levels 55,000 square feet of space 390,000 visitors (78,000 school-age kids) High-tech, interactive exhibitions More than 15,000 artifacts already collected Dedicated spaces for research and education National center for law enforcement history and safety 9 9

10 Museum Status Groundbreaking: October 14, 2010 Construction commenced: January 3, 2011 First phase of construction completed in November 2011 Funds raised to date: $56 million toward $80 million goal Nearly $15 million from law enforcement 10 Scheduled to open: 2014

11 Recent Law Enforcement Safety Trends

12 Average Annual Number of Officers Killed by Decade s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

13 Officer Fatalities: Total Fatalities Down 28%

14 Firearms-related Fatalities: Firearms-related Fatalities Down 44%

15 Officers Killed in Auto Crashes: Auto Crash Fatalities Down 9% 41 15

16 Average Traffic Fatalities Per Decade: % Increase 2000s 1980s 1960s

17 Profile of Officers Killed: 2011 Of the 163 officers killed in Average age: 41 years old Average length of service: 12 years 161 (94%) were male; 11 (6%) were female 17

18 Officer Fatalities: 2009 v % Change Total Fatalities % Firearms-related % Traffic-related % Other Causes % Lowest in 50 years 18

19 NHTSA /NLEOMF Respond NHTSA partnered with the Memorial Fund and others to reduce number of traffic-related officer fatalities Raising awareness about traffic-related officer fatalities and traffic safety issues Conducting research, compiling data, creating quarterly research bulletins, sharing and distributing information, spreading the word via web and social media, i.e. Recently Fallen alerts Go to for daily updates 19

20 Officer Fatalities: 2010 v % Change Total Fatalities % Firearms-related % Traffic-related % Other Causes % 20

21 Officer Fatalities: 2011 v (as of June 6, 2012) % Change Total Fatalities % Firearms-related % Traffic-related % Other Causes % 21

22 Statistical Trends in Traffic-Related Officer Fatalities

23 The Big Picture 19,660 Officers on the Memorial Firearms-related deaths: 10,973 (56%) Traffic-related deaths: 5,449 (28%) Auto crashes: 2,897 Motorcycle crashes: 1,272 Struck and killed: 1,271 Bicycle accidents: 9 Other causes: 3,238 (16%) 23

24 Traffic-related Fatalities Traffic-related incidents number one cause of officer fatalities for 13 years in a row through : first time in 14 years firearms-related fatalities outnumbered traffic-related; third lowest number of traffic-related fatalities in last 15 years

25 Traffic-related Fatalities: 2011 v Traffic-related Fatalities: Traffic-related Fatalities: 71 Auto Crashes 41 Struck and Killed 11 Motorcycle Crashes 5 Train 2 Auto Crashes 50 Struck and Killed 14 Motorcycle Crashes 6 Bicycle 1 25

26 Concerns about Law Enforcement Traffic Safety

27 Areas of Concern Past two years more than 30% of officers killed in the line of duty were not wearing body armor when they died (vests save lives in non-firearms related incidents) 42% of officers killed in auto crashes last three decades were not wearing seat belts 38% of officers killed in auto crashes last year were singlevehicle crashes 27

28 Auto Crash Fatalities: A Closer Look Collisions vs. Single-Vehicle (2011): (62%) Collisions 16 (38%) Single-Vehicle 28

29 Auto Crash Fatalities: A Closer Look Circumstances of 41 Auto Crash Fatalities in 2011 Assisting another officer/ Routine Patrol: 25 fatalities Related to Criminal Enforcement Activity: 9 fatalities Traffic Pursuit: 7 fatalities 29

Auto Crash Fatalities: A Closer Look Mark Edward Toney, Iowa State Patrol EOW: 9/20/2011 Trooper Toney died in a single-vehicle crash while in pursuit of a suspect for a traffic violation.

30 Auto Crash Fatalities: A Closer Look Mark Edward Toney, Iowa State Patrol EOW: 9/20/2011 Trooper Toney died in a single-vehicle crash while in pursuit of a suspect for a traffic violation. Trooper Toney lost control of his patrol vehicle during the pursuit, causing his vehicle to leave the roadway and roll several times before coming to a rest in a field and catching fire. Trooper Toney died at the scene.

31 Officers Struck and Killed: Number of officers struck and killed by vehicles decreased 46% in the past decade ( ) Officers Struck and Killed in 2001: 24 Officers Struck and Killed in 2010: 11 Of the 11 officers struck and killed in 2011, four (36%) died in incidents involving spike sticks A total of 23 officers have been killed while deploying spike sticks since the first such incident in

Officers Struck and Killed Mark Wesley Carthron, Arkansas State Police EOW: 9/12/2005 Trooper Carthron died from injuries sustained when he was struck by another

32 Officers Struck and Killed Mark Wesley Carthron, Arkansas State Police EOW: 9/12/2005 Trooper Carthron died from injuries sustained when he was struck by another trooper during a vehicle pursuit. Trooper Carthron was picking up spike sticks that had been deployed to stop a robbery suspect when he was struck by another trooper's car. 32

33 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage

34 Preventing Preventable Deaths Seat Belt Usage Among All US Drivers: % 85% 34 Wearing Seat Belts Not Wearing Seatbelts

10 9 22 (55%) wearing seat belts 35 22 Not Wearing Seat Belts

35 Preventing Preventable Deaths Seat Belt Usage Among Officers Killed in Auto Crashes: 2011 Of 41 officers killed in auto crashes in 2011: (55%) wearing seat belts Not Wearing Seat Belts Wearing Seat Belts Unknown 9 (21%) not wearing seat belts 10 (24%) unknown

36 Preventing Preventable Deaths Is Today Your Day? 36

37 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage Reduce Impact of Drunk Driving

38 Preventing Preventable Deaths Officers Killed by Drunk Drivers Increased by 43% over last 4 decades

39 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage Reduce Impact of Drunk Driving Enhance Officer Visibility

40 Enhance Officer Visibility Officers Struck and Killed (153) 56% Nighttime Incidents 44% Daytime Incidents 40

41 Enhance Officer Visibility New Federal Regulations Revisions to Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUCTD) December 2009 Requires high-visibility safety apparel for law enforcement while directing traffic, investigating crashes, handling lane closures, etc. 41

42 Preventing Preventable Deaths Increase Seat Belt Usage Reduce Impact of Drunk Driving Enhance Officer Visibility Educate the Public

43 Continue to Educate the Public Promote Move Over Laws Enacted in 49 states; no laws in Hawaii or DC 71% of public has never heard of Move Over law Memorial Fund Drive Safely Campaign (since 2006) Reduce officer injuries/deaths on roadways 43

44 Other Concerns Distracted driving Economy Driver fatigue Driver training Safety equipment 44

45 Safety Measures to be Considered Training and Policy Changes Emergency responses (17 lives to be saved per year) Spike stick deployment (4 lives to be saved per year) Distracted driving (? lives to be saved per year) Increased Use of Seat Belts (18 lives to be saved per year) User friendly innovations Tougher Enforcement of Drunk Driving Laws (10 lives to be saved per year) Increased Use of High Visibility Apparel (9 lives to be saved per year) 45 Increased Promotion of Move Over Laws (15 lives to be saved per year)

46 For More Information Craig W. Floyd National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (202)

officer Traffic Safety National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund September 2012

officer Traffic Safety National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund September 2012 Did you know? On average, a law enforcement officer is killed somewhere in the U.S. every 54 hours There are some 60,000