The FBI has issued the preliminary statistics for 2007 for all reported crimes, and included are those statistics regarding Officers killed on duty.

This is information from the FBI reporting website:

According to preliminary statistics released today by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 57 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty during 2007. Geographically, 31 of the victim officers were killed in the South, nine in the West, nine in the Midwest, and seven in the Northeast. One officer was slain in Puerto Rico. The total number of officers killed is nine higher than in 2006.

By circumstance, 16 deaths occurred as a result of ambush situations, 16 died during arrest situations, 11 were killed while handling traffic pursuits/stops, six died responding to disturbance calls, three while investigating suspicious persons/circumstances, three during tactical situations, one while conducting investigative activities, and one while handling and transporting prisoners.

The Deputy Sheriff's Association of Michigan is back to work, along with the Michigan legislature, on legislation that is vitally important to all Michigan's local Corrections Deputies.

DSAM is supporting two bills that would exempt local Corrections Deputies from CCW "No-Carry Zones" and would provide binding arbitration for those same Deputies.

Click the "Read More" link for more information on these important legislative initiatives supported by DSAM. 

Washington D.C. Metro Police Department Assistant Chief Joshua Ederheimer said the department has spent the past year converting 500 AR-15 rifles from fully-automatic to semi-automatic and drafting training curriculum and policies governing the weapons.
An article at Officer.com says the department received the weapons as part of a Military surplus program.

After a weekend of violence and Chicago Police having arrested a man suspected of using an AK-47 during a shoot-out just after he allegedly used the gun to kill a man at a South Side plumbing business, Chicago Mayor Charles Daley announed he would be providing the Officers of CPD with M-4 rifles.

"I don't want people to wait for Mayor Daley to call a meeting. I want you to call a meeting in your home, with your children and loved ones. I want you to … talk to those children next door. I want the parents on the block to say, 'This block will be free of violence. This summer, not one child will be [killed by] gangs and drug dealers,' " Daley told a City Hall news conference.

Click here to read about Washington D.C. PD from Officer.com

Click here to read about Chicago PD from Officer.com 

In two seperate court rulings, one in LA and one in Ohio, deployment of Taser EMD devices continue to be held up as reasonable and unrelated to deaths of highly drugged suspects deaths.

A federal jury in Los Angeles last month quickly reached a unanimous “defense verdict” supporting Officers and their agency in a trial where the Officers where being sued for allegedly violating the rights of a female suspect who was resisting arrest and subsequently received a drive stun from one of the Officers.

Read more on the story and an analysis of the case from PoliceOne.com

Additionally, an Ohio Judge recently ruled that Summit County Medical Examiner Lisa Kohler must delete any reference that Tasers contributed to the deaths of three men.

The deaths of Dennis Hyde and Richard Holcomb, who were on drugs and in an agitated state when police shot them with Tasers, should be ruled accidental, visiting Judge Ted Schneiderman wrote in his ruling. Any reference to homicide or "electrical pulse stimulation" should be deleted from death certificates and autopsy reports, he said.

The order to change the ruling in the death of the third man, Mark McCullaugh, could be more far-reaching.

McCullaugh, who had a history of psychiatric illness, died in Summit County Jail on Aug. 20, 2006, during a struggle with deputies who used Tasers and pepper spray. Five sheriff's deputies were indicted in his death.

Schneiderman ordered Kohler to rule McCullaugh's death undetermined and delete any references to homicide and the death possibly being caused by asphyxia, beatings or other factors.

Click here to read more on this case from Officer.com

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund has launched a blog for the National Police Week events in Washington D.C. next week.

The week long event officially kicks off May 11th, but the NLEOMF blog is already actively updating information with schedules, pictures and video on upcoming events and some pre-events that are already underway.

This would be a great place to keep track of what is going on if you are headed to D.C. or if you are unable to make it this year, like me.

Check out the blog at nleomf.blogspot.com  

In the latest fight against the Department of Justice's mismanagement and improper denials of funds for "Hometown Heroes", the families of two slain NYPD auxiliary Officers have scored a victory not only for their Heroes but for Reserve Deputies and Auxiliary Officers around the country.

Although the Justice Department improperly denied benefits to as many as 65 slain Police Officers since the enactment of the "Hometown Heroes" act in 2003, this denial hit the NYPD and the families of the slain Officers particularly hard. On the night of March 14, 2007 Officers Nicholas Pekearo, 28, and Yevgeniy Marshalik, 19 - both in uniform and on duty, but not authorized to carry guns - were chased down and brutally murdered by a gunman who'd already fatally shot a bartender at a Village pizza restaurant.

The Justice Department ruled the Officers were not eligible for death benefits because they didn't have arrest powers. The families of the slain Officers argued they were targeted specifically because of the uniform they wore regardless of the powers granted to them by the city.

Click the "Read More" link to learn more about this and see surveillance video of the Officers death (not suitable for minors).

Baltimore Police Department Officer Norman Stamp was celebrating his 44th anniversary as a member of his department this weekend when things went very wrong.

According to reports from Officer.com, Stamp became involved in an altercation with other patrons of a Baltimore club and other Baltimore PD Officers were dispatched to there to quell the disturbance.

Stamp left the bar, still involved in the disturbance, wearing a pair of brass knuckles. Officer John Torres ordered Stamp to stop, and when he did not Stamp deployed his Taser, felling Stamp.

Stamp then pulled out his service weapon and Torres fired twice, striking Stamp at least once in the chest. The 65-year-old Stamp struggled to his feet and said: "I didn't know you were a cop," according to a person familiar with the investigation.

According to Baltimore PD officials, Torres did not recognize Stamp as a fellow Officer because he'd been assigned to a different area than Stamp for his 5 years with the Baltimore PD. 

Click here to read the article from Officer.com

Capac Police Chief Raymond Hawks remained hospitalized this weekend of the Chief's 64th birthday after being shot by a suspect in a reckless driving incident. Chief Hawks' call to 911 reporting the incident has recently been released. 

According to reports from the Detroit News, the incident started when Chief Hawks attempted to stop suspect Donald Robert Burke for reckless driving and an equipment violation. Burke allegedly then failed to stop driving to his home and running inside.

Hawks then called for backup from the St. Clair County Sheriff's Office and a wrecker for Burke's car. St. Clair County Sheriff's Deputy Tim O'Boyle arrived at the scene just as Hawks was being shot, Lane said. Burke shot two rounds into O'Boyle's car, Lane said, with bullets going through the windshield and one grazing O'Boyle's head. O'Boyle was not seriously injured.

O'Boyle was treated at a local hospital and released and Chief Hawks remains in serious condition.

Click the read more link to hear the tape of the Chief's call to 911 

Michigan's antiquated child safety seat law gets an upgrade starting in July, 2008 and Michigan parents have new requirements that hope to keep Michigan kids safer.

The problem with the old law was that it only required children to be in child safety seats up to the age of 4. Of course, any Michigan Deputy knows that the seats in modern vehicles are not made to hold a small child safely, and booster seats are truly necessary to keep those children safe.

Click the "Read More" link for a summary of the new law, to find a car seat check up event near you and to learn about child safety seats from Michigan Safe Kids.

An absolutely nightmarish story this week comes out of Sutter County, CA where the three and a half yeard old son of Sutter County Sheriff's Office Sergeant David Whiteaker somehow gained access to the service weapon belonging to the Deputy and accidentally shot himself.

Details at this time are sketchy, but the lesson here is obvious. 

Our prayers go out to the Whiteaker family.