HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-6-14 OConnor-comment on BearCatFrom:Christine O"Connor
To:Agenda
Subject:comment on BearCat
Date:Sunday, October 05, 2014 5:46:43 PM
Dear City Council Members, As you consider whether to keep orreturn the BearCat vehicle, I urge you to read the followingreport from the FBI about officers who were killed while onduty. There is nothing in this report to suggest that ifonly the dead officers had a military vehicle, they would havelived. In fact most died from accidents.
Some might want to keep the vehicle because it was "free." Some because it is a fun thing to drive. But the facts as towhat endangers officers shows that keeping it to protect ourofficers is a bogus argument.
Here below is the FBI report; this can also be found online. http://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/fbi-releases-2013-preliminary-statistics-for-law-enforcement-officers-killed-in-the-line-of-duty Sincerly, Chris O'Connor, 1413 Ash Drive, Bozeman. Phone5825445. email oconnorc@gvsu.edu
"Preliminary statistics released today by the FBI show that 27law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the lineof duty in 2013, a decrease of more than 44 percent whencompared to the 49 officers killed in 2012. By region, 15officers died as a result of criminal acts that occurred inthe South, six officers in the West, four officers in theMidwest, and two in the Northeast.
By circumstance, seven officers were killed as a result ofambushes (four during unprovoked attacks and three due toentrapment/premeditated situations). Five officers died frominjuries inflicted as a result of answering disturbance calls(three of which were domestic disturbances), and five officerswere engaged in tactical situations. Three officers sustainedfatal injuries while they were investigating suspiciouspersons or circumstances, three were conducting trafficpursuits or stops, and three officers were responding torobberies in progress or pursuing robbery suspects. Oneofficer was killed as a result of an investigative activity.
Offenders used firearms in 26 of the 27 felonious deaths.These included 19 incidents with handguns, five incidents withrifles, and two incidents with shotguns. One victim officerwas killed with a vehicle used as a weapon.
Nineteen of the slain officers were confirmed to be wearingbody armor at the times of the incidents. Six of the officersfired their own weapons, and three officers attempted to firetheir service weapons. Two victim officers had their weaponsstolen; one officer was killed with his own weapon.
The 27 victim officers died from injuries sustained in 26separate incidents. Twenty-five of those incidents have beencleared by arrest or exceptional means.
An additional 49 officers were accidentally killed in the lineof duty in 2013. This total represents one officer more thanthe 48 officers who were accidentally killed in 2012. Byregion, 31 officers died due to accidents in the South, ninein the West, five in the Northeast, and four in the Midwest.
Twenty-three of the officers died as a result of automobileaccidents, nine were struck by vehicles, and four officerswere in motorcycle accidents. Four of the officers were killeddue to falls, and two from accidental shootings, two fromdrowning, and two died as a result of a training exercise. Oneofficer died due to electrocution and one from smokeinhalation, and one officer was killed in an aircraftaccident.
Of the 23 officers who died due to automobile accidents, 14officers were not wearing seatbelts; three of these officerswere seated in parked vehicles at the times of the incidents.Eight of the victim officers were wearing seatbelts, andseatbelt use was not reported for one of the officers who waskilled due to an automobile accident. That incident was stillunder investigation at the time of this release.
Final statistics and complete details will be available in theUniform Crime Reporting Program’s publication Law EnforcementOfficers Killed and Assaulted, 2013, which will be publishedon the FBI’s website in the fall."