Sad

[Nancy Howell]

Sad statistic - a police officer dies in the line of duty somewhere in the US every 54 hours.

Never realized it was that bad.
 

[Uncle Ernie]

Nancy, Where did you come up with that number? I just searched it and found that 117 officers had been killed in 2009 which was the latest stat I could find right quick.
 

[Walt Davies]

If you want to bring up unsafe jobs Nancy take a look at farming it was number five on the list just below Logging and Steel workers and don't forget Pizza delivery guys.
Police and firemen don't even make the top 25 list. But they cry a lot about how dangerous their job is. Well let them take up Farming and learn what a real dangerous job is.
Walt
OH! Forgot Fishing now thats a dangerous job.
 

[Nancy Howell]

I was speaking with one of the college police officers. He is a member of the website "Officer Down". According to that website, there have been 109 so far this year. #109 occurred yesterday in Kentucky.
 

[Mike M]

I'm not a math whiz but that seems to be like 162 a year. So the math doesn't add up. Usually these figures quoted don't add up. They just try and make it more dramaic this way.

Wonder how it compares to people dieing falling down stairs ?

Still a tragity either way and 1 is too many.
 

[Uncle Ernie]

That would be a death once every 80.4 hours.(365X 24/ 109= 80.366)
Still way too many.
 

[Cooter143]

I"ve known plenty of police officers, but I"ve never heard one cry about having a dangerous job. The dangers associated with most jobs are due to neglect and disregard of safety. Almost all of the farm accidents I know of have been preventable, which is not the case with police officers. There is a difference between possibly being killed at your job, and being targeted and killed for simply doing your job. How about showing a little appreciation for those who willingly put themselves in that position for our sakes?
 

[Billy Shafer]

Even one is to many.
 

[Pickle]

We all have choices, don't they "chose" to do the job,
they can always chose something else.
 

[lloyd in sc]

depends on which "one"...
 

[Tony in Mass.]

A few months ago a local cop up here was killed by a New York City police officer, who then killed himself... with his city owned pistol. So there are 2 stats for more gun control right?
Never met a cop who didn't want more gun control. Crime control would put them out of a job, can't push for that huh?
That was the first Springfield cop killed since 1987. Several shot each other in the leg, foot, butt, the mad rush in a drug bust or a dark alley mix up... and those stats count against citizen's gun rights too.
One around here got run over by a dump truck on overtime traffic detail work, another drove off a road on county property and died, no more was said about it. Are these guys counted toward more gun control too? I bet they will be...
More linemen and utility workers are killed across the country in a year's worth of storm damage, without public knowledge, nevermind outcry. Tell the rubber gun cop at the college to get a life...
 

[tomtirediron]

Not a big fan of the cops either, but have learned to respect them after seeing what they go through. I"ve grown to know several of our county force the last 11 years being a county employee also. You hit the nail on the head! Never seen a PTO shaft swear to kill you, a grain bin trying to figure out wher you live to light your house. Officers in this county have no back up close within several minutes and patrol alone. If you think you want a piece come-on up to the reservation on a Sat night. I know guys that have done 1:5 officer/ drunk unruly ratio with backup 20 minutes out. Fun, Fun
 

[Two Dogs]

This one would be a good start TDF
http://www.news9.com/story/20010769/three year old piemont boy gets 2500 ticket for peeing in his front yard

 

[thurlow]

I'm not for anyone dying 'before their time', but I don't have a lot of respect for the po-leece; in the nearest big city, one of 'em was shot last week and may not survive. They were serving a search warrant where they bust in someone's door (had a warrant to search for drugs and found a small quantity). There were 2 large dogs inside the house that "acted aggressive"; (seems to me that the dogs had every RIGHT to act aggressive). Policeman decided he'd just shoot 'em; shot one of his fellow officers in the back, instead. They've killed 2 citizens with their police cars......on non-emergency calls......running nearly 100 mph on city streets without lights/sirens in the near past. They weren't even slapped on the wrists; if you'd done that, you'd...rightly....be in the pen. They're held to a different/LESSER standard than the public they're sworn to protect/serve. In the same city, they've averaged arresting one officer every 3 weeks on felony charges this year.
 

[Bob Bancroft]

Here in a liberal bastion of the northeast- Ithaca(Cornell and Ithaca college) a young officer was recently chasing a no good on foot after a car chase. Crook turned and shot officer, I believe in the shoulder, just off the edge of his protective vest. Officer suffered loss of blood, collapsed lung, and stroke symptoms. Hopefully he will regain all his functions. The community did turn out for him.
A few years ago a known criminal was shot and killed by an officer when the crook threatened another officer with a vehicle. The color mix was the same as this last incident. But back then you would have thought someone had shot the pope! The whole city was stirred up for weeks. Later there was a mysterious fire at one of the officers houses. That could have turned out very serious. As far as I know that remains unsolved.