NCJ Number
99828
Date Published
1985
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Based on an analysis of the data files of the Public Safety Officers Benefit Program (PSOB), this article presents statistics and narrative analysis on line-of-duty death causes for police and other public safety officers (criminal justice personnel and firefighters) for the period September 1976-April 1983.
Abstract
The PSOB statistics cover only those public safety officers with survivors eligible for benefits. Tabular data present the total number of deaths according to cause (gunshots, vehicle related, fire scene, and 'other'), marital status, and sex. The total number of deaths according to each of the aforementioned factors is also broken down by occupation (police, trooper, sheriff, firefighter, corrections, and 'other'). Aggregate data on all law enforcement officers are presented as well. The narrative analysis focuses on the specifics of causes of death (firearms and vehicle accidents were the primary causes). Tabular data also encompass the nature of the activity at the time of death by gunshot (most such deaths were in the course of traffic-violation stops). The article concludes with a discussion of the National Institute of Justice's research in the areas of body armor and car tire safety as means of increasing officer safety.