By Michelle Ye Hee Lee
The Washington Post
“The majority of job related deaths for police officers is due to traffic accidents.”
— claim circulating on Twitter
Amid the heightened national focus on deaths by and of police officers, this particular claim circulating on Twitter caught our attention. It was accompanied by claims that other occupations — such as farmers, construction workers and truck drivers — have a higher rate of fatalities on the job than police officers do.
We were curious about the facts underlying the deaths of police officers while on the job. It’s especially timely, given the July 7 deaths of five police officers in Dallas, who were killed by sniper fire from a lone gunman who targeted police officers. Are they more or less likely to be killed in traffic accidents? How do their occupational death rates compare to other industries? And what unique challenges do they face on the job?
The FBI publishes an annual report, Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, using information on officer deaths reported by its field offices, law enforcement agencies and nonprofits. The FBI breaks down the figure in two ways: accidents and “felonious incidents,” or deaths as a result of a criminal act.
Full Story: Are most job-related deaths of police caused by traffic incidents?