Understanding Firearms Assaults Against Law Enforcement Officers in the United States

• NCJ Number: 249794
• Author(s): Joseph B. Kuhns; Diana Dolliver; Edward R. Maguire
• Date Published: March 2016
• Length: 60 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2012-CK-WX-K037
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA); Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Sale Source: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Technical Assistance; Legislation/Policy Analysis; Issue Overview; Instructional Material; Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This report answers key questions about firearm assaults against law enforcement officers as a framework for a discussion at the 2014 Officer Safety and Wellness Group roundtable, which was dedicated to identifying best practices for reducing firearm assaults and ambushes against law enforcement officers; and it reviews the group's findings on law enforcement policies, procedures, training, and agency characteristics that can reduce officer deaths and injuries from such attacks.

Abstract

The report is divided into three sections: the meeting's findings and recommendations, a review of 50 years of literature on situational factors that could lead to firearm assaults on law enforcement officers, and data identified by a current study. Different approaches to addressing firearms assaults against law enforcement officers were presented by law enforcement leaders, line officers, members of the advocacy group Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA), and subject-matter experts who shared their personal insights and experiences. Debate was conducted on research findings. From the presentations the participants learned that police officers working in similarly situated cities and counties are at different risk for becoming victims of firearms violence. Also, the LEOKA data provide a context for exploring these variations over time and within cities and counties. The presentations and group conversations offered insights into potential explanations for variations in risk for firearms attacks on officers. These explanations included agency reporting practices on such attacks, variations in definitions used for firearms-related incidents, city-level demographic variations and changes, variation in citizen firearm ownership rate, and organizational training and safety practices. Four recommendations emerged from the presentations and discussion. These recommendations may be useful next steps for improving officer safety nationwide. 14 tables, 5 figures, 70 references, and appended summary data for selected agencies and the methodology and findings of the National Survey on the Use of Deadly Force and Firearms Against Police Officers