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Home • LEOKA • 2013 • Detailed Assault Data

Detailed Assault Data

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The following information concerns duly sworn city, university and college, county, state, and tribal law enforcement officers who were assaulted and injured by firearms or knives/other cutting instruments in the line of duty in 2013. The law enforcement officers included in this report also met certain other criteria. At this time, federal officers are not included in this data. (For information about federal officers, see Officers Feloniously Killed, Officers Accidentally Killed, and the Federal Officers Killed and Assaulted sections of this publication.)

While the FBI’s Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program has collected aggregate assault data for more than 50 years, an assault with injury data collection was established more recently. Detailed information is now collected for assaults during which officers are injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments. The data collection for these assault incidents is similar to comprehensive data collected about law enforcement officers feloniously killed in the line of duty. However, the detailed assault with injury data reflects only a subset of the assault incidents reported to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. In 2013, submissions of 70 separate incidents were reported to the FBI’s LEOKA Program consisting of 78 victim officers who were assaulted and injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments. This is the first year the detailed assault data is being included in a Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted publication.

Overview

  • In 2013, detailed information was received for 78 law enforcement officers who were injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments during assault incidents.
  • Of the officers assaulted and injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments, 51 were employed by city police departments, including 21 who were members of law enforcement agencies in cities with 250,000 or more inhabitants.
  • Detailed data in reference to line-of-duty assaults with injuries from firearms or knives/other cutting instruments was received from 27 states.
  • By region, of the 70 incidents reported, 39 officers in the South were injured as a result of assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments, 21 officers in the West, 10 officers in the Northeast, and 8 officers in the Midwest.
  • More information about these topics is provided in Tables 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, and 90.

Victim profile

  • The average age of the officers who were assaulted and injured by firearms or knives/other cutting instruments in 2013 was 37 years old.
  • The officers’ average length of law enforcement service was 10 years.
  • Of the officers who were injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments in 2013, 75 were male and 3 were female.
  • By race, 69 officers were white, 4 were Asian/Pacific Islander, 3 were black, and the race for 2 officers was not reported.
  • More information about this topic is provided in Tables 79 and 80.

Circumstances

  • 21 officers had responded to disturbance calls.
  • 18 officers were investigating suspicious persons or circumstances.
  • 14 officers were conducting investigative activities (surveillances, searches, interviews, etc.).
  • 7 officers were involved in arrest situations.
  • 7 officers were participating in tactical situations (barricaded offender, hostage taking, high-risk entry, etc.).
  • 5 officers were conducting traffic pursuits or stops.
  • 4 officers were handling persons with mental illness.
  • 2 officers were involved in ambush situations.

More information about this topic is provided in Tables 82, 83, 84, 87, and 88.

Assignments

  • 60 officers were on assigned vehicle patrol when they were assaulted and injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments.
  • 13 officers were assigned to other duties, such as detectives, officers on special assignments, undercover officers, or officers on other types of assignments not listed.
  • 3 of the officers were off duty, but acting in an official capacity, at the time of the attacks.
  • 2 officers were on foot patrol.
  • 61 on-duty officers were assisted at the time of the attacks.
  • 14 on-duty officers were alone and unassisted at the time of the attacks.

More information about this topic is provided in Tables 75, 76, 83, and 84.

Weapons

  • 62 officers were assaulted and injured with firearms. Of these, 43 were injured with handguns.
  • 1 officer was injured with his or her own weapon.
  • 18 officers were injured with firearms when they were 0-5 feet from the offenders.
  • 39 officers fired their own weapons.
  • 27 officers did not use or attempt to use their weapons during the incident.
  • 10 officers attempted to fire their own weapons during the incident.

More information about this topic is provided in Tables 81, 85, 86, 87, 88, and 89, and in Figure 7.

Uniforms, body armor, and holsters

  • 73 of the 78 officers injured in assaults by firearms or knives/other cutting instruments were wearing uniforms.
  • 68 of the officers were wearing body armor. All 68 of these officers were also wearing uniforms.
  • All 78 officers were wearing holsters at the times of the incidents.
  • More officers (11) were injured during assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that occurred in the month of October than in any other month in 2013.
  • More officers (18) were injured in assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that occurred on Saturday than on any other day of the week.
  • 37 officers were injured in assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that happened between 12:01 a.m. and noon.
  • 41 officers were injured in assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that happened between 12:01 p.m. and midnight.

Months, days, and times of incidents

  • More officers (11) were injured during assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that occurred in the month of October than in any other month in 2013.
  • More officers (18) were injured in assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that occurred on Saturday than on any other day of the week.
  • 37 officers were injured in assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that happened between 12:01 a.m. and noon.
  • 41 officers were injured in assaults with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments that happened between 12:01 p.m. and midnight.

More information about these topics is provided in Tables 76, 77, and 78.

Profile of alleged known assailants

In 2013, 74 alleged offenders were identified in connection with the law enforcement officers assaulted and injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments. Of those offenders, the following characteristics are known:

  • The average age of the alleged offenders was 32 years old.
  • 69 of the alleged offenders were male, and 3 were female. Gender was not reported for 2 offenders.
  • 40 of the alleged offenders were black, 30 were white, and 2 were Asian/Pacific Islander. Race was not reported for 2 offenders.
  • 59 of the alleged offenders had prior criminal arrests.
  • 20 of the alleged offenders were under judicial supervision at the time of the incidents.
  • 18 of the alleged offenders were under the influence of alcohol and/or a controlled substance(s) at the time of the incidents.

More information about this topic is provided in Table 90 and in Figures 8, 9, and 10.