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.
Six years of tracking officer shootings has made one thing clear: in the smallest towns, violence comes fast, backup is far and too many cops die before help arrives
From school massacres to cross-country kidnappings, some of America’s most brutal crimes happen far from city lights — where officers are outnumbered, under-resourced and overlooked
8 police officer book recommendations to help develop winning techniques on and off the job
Poor leadership can be particularly destructive for an agency’s ability to recruit and retain its workforce
There is a ‘healthcare desert’ in rural communities, with a near complete absence of mental healthcare providers in general, never mind ones versed in police stress or trauma
Distance from backup and trauma care are the perils of rural policing
New South Wales police search for a missing person near a remote village in the Australian bush
If officers work at will, then every cop is one bad boss, one ‘wrong’ arrest or one citizen complaint away from the unemployment rolls
The Tohono O’odham Nation police officer was identified as Officer Bryan Brown
“The deputy was able to avoid the initial attempt by the suspect to strike his vehicle but was unable to avoid another action that resulted in the collision,” the sheriff’s office said
Jim and Norma Gund were attacked by their neighbor’s killer while conducting a welfare check at the request of their sheriff’s office
Leadership failures impacting many larger agencies provide a rare opportunity for smaller agencies to attract trained lateral hire officers
Deputy Eddy Luna’s brother, who is also a cop, applied a tourniquet at the scene
A lot can go down when backup is two hours away
The tribe’s checkpoint rules say non-residents driving non-commercial out-of-state vehicles are never allowed through the reservation
Some of the reforms being proposed nationwide seem more like fantasy than realistic goals for rural law enforcement
Is it tribal officers or officers working for an agency that operates under state law who oversee investigations on reservation land when nontribal people are involved?
Deputy Stone was eating lunch alone when three teenagers handed him a note
It is likely that more than one officer will be involved in most critical incidents, which can cripple staffing in a small department
An armed resident was able to avert a possible mass shooting, but officials are now weighing the benefits of village police carrying firearms
From chief to CHP officer to game warden, female cops patrol some of the most rural spots in the nation
Of the 285 officers shot in 2019, nearly a quarter of them were policing towns with fewer than 11,000 people
Activist groups raised concerns about privacy violations, but officials say the information is being disseminated securely and in the name of keeping officers safe
Some sheriffs are refusing to enforce the order, while others are responding to violations with citations or an education-based approach.
Out of a series of conversations between the feds and rural cops comes a report detailing the dire issues facing those who police small-town America
Instead of using sick time or being placed on paid leave, officers would receive their full, regular pay
While policing in rural areas may lessen the risk of COVID-19 cases, agencies worry a single case of the virus would put whole departments out of commission
Residents can email the sheriff’s department and ask a deputy to check on vulnerable individuals who may not be entirely able to care for themselves
Rookie warden Austin Schumacher used old-school tracking skills to find and rescue a 13-year-old boy before a snowstorm struck
As all first responders gear up to respond to the impact of a global pandemic, rural and small agencies face significant challenges unique to their communities
Conservation officers can be an invaluable resource for police investigations
