Rural Law Enforcement
In the Rural Law Enforcement section you’ll find news reports and expert articles about what it means to be a police officer in rural America.
The drama “Sovereign” looks back at the 2010 killing of two officers by a father and son who called themselves “sovereign citizens”
A Wall Street Journal report points to rising police killings in rural America — but the data, context and lived experience tell a far more complicated story
From recognizing hidden water dangers to planning safe rescue strategies, here are key steps law enforcement officers should take to reduce risk and improve outcomes when responding to floods
There is no magical system that kicks in to take care of officers hurt on the job — and that needs to change
There were 87 vacant positions in the agency as of January, which means the department is understaffed by 25%
It’s time to recognize the changes wrought by critical incidents in remote places
The Willard Police Department offers a template for community outreach and engagement
The plight of two LE professionals who both died of duty-related melanomas highlights the inequities in workplace protections afforded to those who protect both humans and our natural resources
If signed into law, it would provide $60 million in grants each year to “smaller” law enforcement agencies, from 2023 to 2027
While the Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executive Association is the new kid on the block, its ranks are building fast
A drone operator located the man, clad in body armor, in the woods as he approached threatened to shoot law enforcement officers
A court rules that an officer was justified in handcuffing a subject during a detector dog sniff
The measure, which would provide $300 million over five years to PDs with no more than 125 officers, was one of several policing bills passed
Why is it okay to skimp on basic safety equipment because we’re talking about a cop instead of a welder or warehouse worker?
Leaders of small departments said rural towns often have more difficulty hiring officers than larger, better-funded cities
Small agencies can always benefit from an extra set of eyes – especially when they are in the sky
A 1932 bloodbath at a remote Ozarks farm that resulted in the death of six LEOs still offers tactical lessons for officers today
The article discussed small town PDs in the US and the disastrous response in Uvalde as though they were related
A discussion about the pros and cons of law enforcement adopting a fire service shift model
A champion of rural law enforcement, Dias is working to document violence against LEOs serving in rural and remote locations
“When I talk to our taxpayers, they ask, ‘Why didn’t we do this sooner?’”
By quantifying what is happening in rural places, there can be no excuse for failure to train, equip and staff rural police to modern, professional standards
Wanting equitable wages for rural cops is not about greed or ingratitude, it’s just economics
A deadeye game warden was praised for his unorthodox rescue of a trapped deer
A chief in Washington State thinks so and is encouraging his cops to sleep on the job
Chief Paul Wegner believes it is a viable solution that he’s willing to try in order to save his staff
What rural cops want isn’t complicated or exotic. Over and over survey respondents repeated the same refrains
In order to protect his officers’ mental health, Paynesville Police Chief Paul Wegner is offering the paid leave for officers with at least five years of service
A police union president says the cost of living is far outpacing wages
Authorities have offered a $10,000 award for information leading to an arrest
Following the leak of a draft executive order on police reform, White House advisors are promising more LE collaboration. Let’s hope they talk to rural cops
Shot nine times while patrolling alone in a remote location, Young shares the survival lessons of his brutal attack
A Colorado LEO looks back on the murder of his brother, Corporal Nate Carrigan, who was killed enforcing an eviction order
