Violence Against Law Enforcement

• In Event: Translating Research to Policy: Lessons Learned from the Second Year of the IACP/UC Center for Police Research and Policy

Abstract

Increased media attention surrounding violence against law enforcement has led to perceptions that this violence is growing. However, the felonious killings of law enforcement officers has generally declined steadily since the 1979. Furthermore, injurious assaults against law enforcement officers have generally declined steadily since 1992. This review and analysis will explore the historic and current trends of felonious killings, assaults, and ambushes of law enforcement officers using the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) program data from 1970 to 2017. Situational, organizational, community, and individual factors related to this violence will be discussed. Additionally, alternative sources of data for will be discussed alongside the complications of using each source. Finally, recommendations for future data collection and research will be proposed along with recommendations for officer safety. Implications and findings will be discussed.

Authors

• Amanda Graham, University of Cincinnati

• Robin S. Engel, University of Cincinnati