(Photo Dale Stockton)
FEATURED IN NEWS
- Texas Deputy Killed in Collision with Intoxicated Driver
- ODMP: South Carolina Officer Dies of Smoke Inhalation from Earlier Fire
- FBI Hostage Rescue Team Agents Killed in Training Exercise
- Phoenix Police Officer Dies in Fatal Hit-and-Run
- Metro-Washington Airport Officer Shot and Killed by Wife
- New York Student Killed During Shooting between Intruder and Police
- College Student, Intruder Killed in New York Break-In
In January, the line-of-duty death toll was 15. Every loss is a tragedy but January was tough and there were some losses that were largely a result of incidents from long ago. Nonetheless, they lost their lives this year and they absolutely deserve to be recognized.
Gunfire was the leading cause of death with seven deaths. Two of those were in Puerto Rico where one officer was shot in the face during a traffic stop and another was murdered when he responded to a panic alarm.
A U.S. Park Service officer was killed when she tried to stop a vehicle that had failed to stop for a checkpoint. An Ogden (Utah) officer was killed and five other officers were wounded by a subject during the service of a narcotics warrant.
A deputy sheriff in Arizona was killed when he responded to a burglary alarm and was shot by a suspect with a rifle. He was struck below his body armor. A correctional officer who was off-duty, but in uniform, was killed during a robbery. An officer in Aiken (S.C.) died of her wounds after being shot while checking a suspicious vehicle.
Vehicle related incidents claimed five lives. A Connecticut officer died of injuries received in a 2003 crash. A Louisiana deputy died in a car crash when he collided head-on with another vehicle. A Honolulu officer died when he stopped to help a disabled vehicle and his vehicle was struck from behind and caught fire. A Kentucky deputy sheriff died in a collision while on the way to serve civil papers. An Atlanta patrol officer died when she was struck by a drunk driver as she stepped from her vehicle.
An Arkansas correctional officer was stabbed to death as she tried to confiscate contraband. A Nevada correctional officer suffered a heart attack after sustaining an ankle injury during a struggle. It is believed an embolism from the injury caused the heart attack.
A Montgomery County (Md.) officer contracted Hepatitis C after being given a blood transfusion during treatment for injuries sustained when he was pinned between two cars in a collision caused by a drunk driver.
It must be said again and again that cops do not have to die in the numbers that we continue to see. Some of these deaths were absolutely preventable and that just makes the loss all the more tragic.
We must be willing to objectively and constructively examine each loss and determine how we can prevent future deaths. We cannot afford to simply move on and accept these losses as a cost of doing business. Each and every one of these officers will be forever mourned by their affected families and departments.
It is time to hold each other accountable and speak up when we see others taking unnecessary chances or failing to use safety equipment like seat belts and body armor. We can drive down this horrible number that causes more names to be added to the National Memorial every year. We can make a difference. You can be part of that effort.
Check out the Below 100 program. Remember: The life you save may be your own!
END OF WATCH: January 2012
Law Officer thanks each of these officers for their service, and sends its sincerest condolences to their friends, families and fellow brothers and sisters in blue.
Sergeant Abimael Castro-Berrocales
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Park Ranger Margaret Anderson
United States Department of the Interior - National Park Service, US
EOW: Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Agent Jared Francom
Ogden Police Department, UT
EOW: Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff William Coleman
Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, AZ
EOW: Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Detective Andrew F. Faggio
New Haven Police Department, CT
EOW: Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Correctional Officer Clarence Tariq Hammond, III
Michigan Department of Corrections, MI
EOW: Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Deputy Sheriff Randall L. Benoit
Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office, LA
EOW: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Agent Francis Crespo-Mandry
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR
EOW: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Corporal Barbara Ester
Arkansas Department of Correction, AR
EOW: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
Cause of Death: Stabbed
Correctional Officer Tracy Hardin
Nevada Department of Corrections, NV
EOW: Friday, Jan. 20, 2012
Cause of Death: Heart attack
Officer Garret Davis
Honolulu Police Department, HI
EOW: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Deputy Sheriff James I. Thacker
Pike County Sheriff's Department, KY
EOW: Monday, Jan. 23, 2012
Cause of Death: Automobile accident
Senior Police Officer Gail Thomas
Atlanta Police Department, GA
EOW: Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012
Cause of Death: Vehicular assault
Police Officer William D. "Bill" Talbert
Montgomery County Police Department, MD
EOW: Friday, Jan. 27, 2012
Cause of Death: Duty related illness
Master Corporal Sandra E. "Sandy" Rogers
Aiken Department of Public Safety, SC
EOW: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012
Cause of Death: Gunfire
