[Vision2020] A study of felonious assaults on our nation's LEOs

[Debbie Gray]

A study of felonious assaults on our nation's LEOs

By Chief Jim Smith

A recent publication by the US Department of Justice
Violent Encounters: A Study of Felonious Assaults on
Our Nation’s Law Enforcement Officers provides a
definitive review of the risks, precipitating factors,
offender profile and officer profile in the events.

GENERAL FACTORS

As in the previous two studies, several factors
remained the same regarding officer assaults.

• Most occurred when officers initiated contact with
the offender.

• Most occurred outdoors on a highway, street or
alley.

• Most occurred during the hours of darkness.

• Most offi cers were assigned to a vehicle, in a
patrol function.

• Many of the incidents had more than one officer
present.

• Handguns continue to be the weapon of choice, with
.38 caliber being the most common.


OFFICER PROFILES

The officers feloniously assaulted had several common
factors.

• Most had stable family lives.

• Most had not encountered a stressful event
immediately preceding the assault.

• Most were physically fit and reported fatigue as not
being a factor.

• Most had excellent work records and performance
evaluations.

• Officers were generally described as hard working,
friendly, well-liked in the community, and they
concentrated on public relations while on their beat.

• Many felt they could “read situations and people.”

• Many were described as not following procedure and
rules for arrests, traffic stops, confrontations and
often did not wait for backup

• Many were known to let their guard down early, and
erroneously felt they were in control.

• Often officers were described as “laidback” and
“easy going.”

• Most did not expect the attack.

• Many had approximately 10 years job experience. The
officers who survived attacks had a “do not give up
attitude” and continued to fight even after being
seriously injured. Many officers attributed the use of
soft body armor to reducing injury and even saving
their lives.


OFFENDER PROFILES

The offender’s profiles were similar in all three
reports.

• More than 95% were male, with almost an equal split
between white and nonwhite – average age: 26 years
old.

• Even with an increase in the number of female
offenders, their numbers remained small in comparison
to male offenders.

• Most were poorly educated, had a dysfunctional
family and came from a disadvantaged background.

• More than half had criminal histories, with many
having a history of robbery, assault, weapons
violations and other violent crimes.

• Most offenders had received minor punitive measures
for previous crimes.

• Most had an unstable employment history.

• Most had alcohol and an illicit drug use history,
while many were under the influence of such during the
felonious assaults.

• Many had gang affiliations. An interesting
perspective and information revealed in this study
involved the offender’s use of weapons. The data was
derived from interviews of the offender and case
studies of the incidents.

• Most offenders had prior experience with firearms,
and had been involved in incidents using a fi rearm,
(having shot someone or been on the receiving end of a
firearms assault.)

• Most practiced with the firearm, however, only a few
had any formal fire arms training.

• Most firearm selection was made based upon
availability.

• Almost all firearms were illegally obtained, and
were handguns.

• Most offenders carried their firearm on their
person, with the belt or waistline being the most
common carry location.

• Most offenders routinely carried a firearm.

• Most offenders used an instinctive firearm shooting
stance.

• Offenders had a good probability of hitting the
officer with their rounds. This can be attributed to
the fact that the offender is using his firearm
offensively, while the officer is unprepared for the
shooting incident, and must react defensively.

• Some offenders carried more than one firearm or a
backup firearm.

• A significant number of offenders were diagnosed as
having antisocial personality disorder.

• Many offenders operated under the perspective that
they were prepared to do battle with the officer to
prevent an arrest, thus many deliberately made the
decision to shoot the officer.

• Most offenders felt a sense of entitlement from
society. This report examines the common mental and
emotional impact during a stressful event– things
like: time distortion, failure to feel pain and tunnel
vision. The study revealed that, in some
circumstances, officers did not note threats outside
their immediate visual concentration area. Many
officers reported not feeling pain until the event was
stabilized, while many others had distorted
recollection of the events, as did civilian witnesses.

Not surprisingly, the study revealed that training
could be improved in: an officer’s approach to traffic
stops and/or pursuits, and particularly actions to
take when facing an attack with a fi rearm. Sadly,
many officers revealed that the training they’d
received on taking appropriate action when a suspect
“had the drop on the officer” was severely lacking.
Several officers noted that their inability to
diagnose and clear a weapon malfunction negatively
affected their shooting situation, as did officers who
noted a backup firearm would have improved their
ability to deal with the situation (either after
having a weapon malfunction or being disarmed.)

As always, weapon retention was a substantial factor
in preventing negative outcomes in some of the
incidents. Another identifiable factor was the
officer's use of flashlights. In fact, offenders were
able to shoot several officers by aiming at the
flashlight held by the officers.

Two additional factors which were identified by the
study were the need to keep dispatch informed of the
officer’s location, and the potential for “friendly
fire” incidents due to officers not being properly
identified.

One troubling aspect noted in this study was the
increase in the reporting and the potential rise in
the number of incidents characterized as “suicide by
cop.” There was an appalling lack of standards and
data in these incidents, such that the true scope of
the problem is not known.

This study is well worth reading by officers, trainers
and managers who are interested in officer injury
reduction and officer survival.

 

Jim Smith is the police chief of a small town in
southern Alabama. He has more than 25 year’s law
enforcement experience along with several graduate
degrees. 
Editor's Note — Cottonwood (AL) PD Chief Jim Smith,
author of this article, spoke to PoliceOne in light of
the NLEOF study. Offender and officer profiles in
felonious assaults fit the same bill as those involved
in deadly episodes.

"We're seeing a much more violent culture emerging, in
both urban and rural areas," said Smith. "Law
enforcement deaths tend to be cyclical — the surge in
LE deaths now can be compared to that of the late
1960s and early '70s, but those were due to training
issues. Now, the issue seems to be the ease with which
deadly force is used by the criminals, as well as
their training. Some of these criminals train to shoot
as much as or more than police officers do."

But Smith admits that this cultural trend does not
account for the entire spike in violent
(firearm-related) officer deaths. "Administrators,
instructors and trainers -- everyone -- is trying to
get to the bottom of this disturbing trend in order to
pinpoint the training needed to counteract it."
http://www.policeone.com/writers/columnists/marksman/articles/1283849/


       
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