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Home LEOKA 2017 Resource Pages Definitions

Definitions

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Type of Incident

Feloniously Killed–Incident type in which an officer, while engaged in or on account of the performance of their official duties, was fatally injured as a direct result of a willful and intentional act by an offender.

Accidentally Killed–Incident type in which an officer was fatally injured as a result of an accident or negligence that occurred while the officer was acting in an official capacity. Due to the hazardous nature of the law enforcement profession, deaths of law enforcement officers are considered accidental if the act causing the death is found not to be willful and intentional.

Assaulted–An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is accompanied by the use of a weapon or by a means likely to produce death or great bodily injury.

Detailed Assault Data–The detailed data collection is limited to officers who are assaulted and injured with firearms or knives/other cutting instruments. – Incident type in which an officer, while engaged in or on account of the performance of their official duties, received nonfatal injuries as a direct result of a willful and intentional act by an offender.

Race

White–A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

Black/African American–A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as “Haitian” or “Negro” can be used in addition to “Black or African American.”

American Indian/Alaska Native–A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian–A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander–A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands, e.g., individuals who are Carolinian, Fijian, Kosraean, Melanesian, Micronesian, Northern Mariana Islander, Palauan, Papua New Guinean, Ponapean (Pohnpelan), Polynesian, Solomon Islander, Tahitian, Tarawa Islander, Tokelauan, Tongan, Trukese (Chuukese), and Yapese. (NOTE: The term “Native Hawaiian” does not include individuals who are native to the state of Hawaii simply by virtue of being born there.)

Ethnicity

Hispanic or Latino–A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term “Spanish origin” can be used in addition to “Hispanic or Latino.”

Type of Assignment

Two-officer patrol–An assignment where the officer is on patrol and is accompanied by another law enforcement officer(s) in the agency’s marked patrol vehicle.

One-officer patrol–An assignment where the officer is on patrol and is not accompanied by another officer in the agency’s marked patrol vehicle.

Investigative/detective–An officer’s whose occupation is mainly to investigate and solve crimes.

Tactical assignment (uniformed)–A uniformed assignment where an officer is strategically deployed in order to achieve a specific goal or objective. These are typically high-risk assignments.

Plainclothes assignment–A non-uniformed assignment where the officer’s role and identity as a sworn law enforcement officer is not intended to be confidential or clandestine.

Undercover–A non-uniformed assignment where the officer requires anonymity or blending into a group or environment to gather evidence or intelligence. The disclosure of the officer’s identity would pose a significant safety risk.

Court/prisoner security–An officer whose occupation is responsible for providing a safe environment for the judge, court personnel, attorneys, and general public.

Off duty, but acting in an official capacity–An officer who is off duty at the time of incident, but is acting in such a way that is sanctioned by, recognized by, or derived from authority.

Call for Service or Reason for Involvement / Circumstance Encountered by Victim Officer Upon Arrival at Scene of Incident / Specific Activity Being Performed by Victim Officer at Time of Attack

Administrative assignment–An assignment in which an officer is working management, performance, or executive duties of the local, state, or federal jurisdiction. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • handling, transporting, or maintaining custody of persons who are in the custodial care of a law enforcement agency subsequent to an arrest and/or while dealing with persons who are being detained in accordance with the law.
  • attending community meetings, crime preventive programs, or other organized functions as an official representative of a law enforcement agency.
  • performing duties and recreational activities associated with agency sanctioned programs such as D.A.R.E., Boys and Girls Clubs, or other youth programs. serving of writs, notices, summonses, subpoenas, hearing notices, notifications, and other civil processes.
  • transporting papers, equipment, or persons associated with official agency sanctioned activities, functions, and programs. 

Ambush (entrapment/premeditation)–Situation where an unsuspecting officer was targeted or lured into danger as the result of conscious consideration and planning by the offender.

Arrest situation–Situation where an officer is arresting or attempting to arrest an offender either through verbal advisement or through physical contact, such as attempting to restrain, control, or handcuff the offender.

Assist another law enforcement officer–Situation where an officer assists other law enforcement personnel/agencies in an emergency or nonemergency circumstance. Examples include officer down circumstances; officers requiring emergency assistance; vehicular and foot pursuits; providing/deploying equipment such as traffic cones, flares, etc.; and other emergency and nonemergency circumstances.

  • Foot pursuit–Situation where an officer assists other law enforcement personnel/agencies in a foot pursuit of an individual for a known, suspected, or unknown offense.
  • Vehicular pursuit–Situation where an officer assists other law enforcement personnel/agencies in a vehicle pursuit of an individual for a known, suspected, or unknown offense.
  • Other emergency circumstance–Situation where an officer assists other law enforcement personnel/agencies in an emergency circumstance not covered by other more specific categories in this list of options. (Emergency circumstance is a circumstance where it is reasonable to believe an officer or others could suffer serious bodily injury or death.)
  • Other nonemergency circumstance–Situation where an officer assists other law enforcement personnel/agencies in a nonemergency circumstance in order to provide additional law enforcement presence at a scene for precautionary measure. Include any nonemergency circumstance not covered by other more specific categories in this list of options. (Nonemergency circumstance is a circumstance where there is no reason to believe an officer or others are in immediate danger of serious bodily injury or death.)

Citizen complaint–An action taken by a citizen to bring to the attention of law enforcement any action considered to be contrary to law, proper procedure, good order, or in some other manner prejudicial to the citizen, the law enforcement agency, or the community as a whole. Examples include animal bites, animal disturbances, verbal complaints of noncriminal violations, requests for checking on the welfare of a citizen, drug complaints, requests for business checks, and traffic complaints.

  • Animal disturbance (barking dog, unleashed dog, etc.)–Examples include, but are not limited to, complaints regarding excessive barking or other animal noise, mistreatment of animals, and reports of stray, feral, or wild animals in the area.
  • Check on welfare of citizen–Visit conducted by a law enforcement officer to the residence of an individual for the purpose of assessing whether the individual poses a danger to the individual or others due to a mental, behavioral, or physical condition.
  • Drug complaint–Incident where a citizen reports the use or presence of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. Examples include, but are not limited to, the possession, buying, or selling of illegal drugs or drug paraphernalia. (EXCLUSIONS: Do not include drug complaints in reference to persons under the influence of, and not necessarily in possession of, illegal drugs. This type of incident should be classified as a disturbance call under “disorder/disturbance.” Also, do not include activities such as undercover operations, buy/bust operations, surveillance activities, etc. These types of activities should be classified appropriately under “investigative/enforcement.”)
  • Verbal complaints of noncriminal violations–Examples of noncriminal types of incidents, reports, or complaints include, but are not limited to:
    • assisting citizens accidentally locked out of their residence/vehicle.
    • dead animals or other noncriminal animal complaints. 
    • found property, lost property, and attempts to locate property.
    • missing persons, runaways, and attempts to locate persons.
    • natural deaths, including assignments to investigate odors thought to be associated with natural deaths.
    • taking reports (but not the transportation) of sick persons admitted to healthcare, detoxification, or mental health facilities.

Disorder/disturbance–Any behavior that tends to disturb the public peace or decorum, scandalize the community, or shock the public sense of morality. This includes affray, breach of the peace, blasphemy, profanity, obscene language, disturbing the peace, and public nuisance. Examples include civil disorders, disturbance calls, domestic disturbances, and domestic violence situations. (Breach of the peace is the criminal offense of creating a public disturbance or engaging in disorderly conduct, particularly by making an unnecessary or distracting noise.)

  • Civil disorder (mass disobedience, riot, etc.)–An activity where an officer is to control, disperse, or terminate a riot or mass disobedience.
  • Disturbance call (disorderly subject, fight, etc.)–A breach of the peace type of circumstance resulting from a call for law enforcement to respond. Examples include, but are not limited to, curfew violations, disorderly persons, drinking in public, fights, fireworks violations, gambling in public space, persons under the influence, landlord/tenant disputes, loitering, loud noise of any type (excluding animal disturbance complaints by a citizen), littering, nuisance complaints,prostitution offenses, trespassing or unwanted guests, vagrancy violations, and verbal altercations.
  • Domestic disturbance (family quarrel, no assault)–A breach of the peace or crime against a person occurring within a family, families, or other relatives or members of the household. Examples include, but are not limited to, family disputes, family intimidations, family arguments, and assisting citizens with the removal of legally owned possessions at locations where prior domestic disturbances or other related offenses have occurred. (Family includes a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim; a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian; or a person who is or has been similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.)
  • Domestic violence–The use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force, or a weapon; or the use of coercion or intimidation; or committing a crime against property by a current or former spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim; a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; a person who is cohabiting with or has cohabited with the victim as a spouse, parent, or guardian; or by a person who is or has been similarly situated to a spouse, parent, or guardian of the victim.

Encounter or assist an emotionally disturbed person–Situation where an officer has encountered or is assisting an individual who is in a temporary disturbed state of mind due to a circumstance such as a high stress situation, life-altering event, emotional occurrence, anger, sadness, grief, etc.

Investigative/enforcement–Situation where an officer is involved in an investigative and/or enforcement activity. Examples include performing investigative activities; investigating suspicious persons or circumstances; investigating possible DUI/DWI suspects; performing traffic stops; investigating motor vehicle crashes; investigating or enforcing incidents involving wanted persons, persons with a mental illness, or drug-related matters; performing in tactical or undercover capacities; and surveillance activities.

  • Handling person with mental illness–Situation where an officer is handling a person who is known or suspected to be suffering from a mental illness that impairs judgment, behavior, perceptions of reality, or their ability to cope with the ordinary demands of life. Examples include, but are not limited to, mental patients, suicidal persons, service of commitment orders, and calls to investigate persons or activities where it is suspected that a person is suffering from a mental illness.
  • Investigate suspicious person/circumstance–An activity where an officer’s intent is to investigate an unusual occurrence, an out-of-the-ordinary condition, or a suspicious person or circumstance.
  • Investigative activity–An activity where an officer is making official inquiries relating to prior criminal offenses and/or perpetrators. Examples include, but are not limited to, obtaining follow-up information or additional information relating to any crime (excluding drug offense complaints) or interviewing a citizen relating to any criminal matter (excluding drug offenses). (EXCLUSIONS: Assignments to investigate complaints related to the manufacturing, buying, selling, or possession of illegal drugs; the service of search warrants which should be reported as tactical situations; and calls to investigate suspicious persons or circumstances.)
  • Tactical situation–Situation where an officer is strategically deployed in order to achieve a specific goal or objective. Examples include, but are not limited to, serving search warrants, hostage situations, barricaded offenders, search warrants for drug violations, and any other situations that could be deemed “high-risk,” such as serving an arrest warrant on a known armed felon.
  • Traffic stop (felony traffic stop)–A vehicle stop made by an officer that is considered to be high-risk in nature.
  • Traffic stop (traffic violation stop)–A vehicle stop made by an officer due to a motorist’s violation of traffic rules and regulations.
  • Undercover situation–Situation where an officer is acting in an undercover capacity by not disclosing his or her role as a law enforcement officer.
  • Wanted person–An individual who is known or suspected to be wanted for a criminal offense.

Pursuit–Situation where an officer initiates a foot or vehicle pursuit of an individual.

Respond to alarm–Situation where an officer responds to an electronic, audible, or silent alarm of any type. Examples include, but are not limited to, any hold up or burglar alarm, including banks, government buildings, private or commercial structures, or motor vehicles.

Respond to crime in progress–Situation where an officer responds to a crime that is occurring and there is reason to believe the perpetrator is still at or near the scene of the crime. Examples include assaults, robberies, burglaries, larceny-theft situations, motor vehicle thefts, persons with firearms (no shots fired), reports of shootings/shots being fired, tampering with vehicle reports, and other crimes against persons or properties.

  • Assault–The unlawful attack by one person upon another.
  • Burglary–The unlawful entry of a structure with the intent to commit a felony or a theft.
  • Larceny-theft–The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.
  • Motor vehicle theft–The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle whether locked or unlocked.
  • Robbery–The taking, or attempting to take, of anything of value under confrontational circumstances from the care, custody, or control of a person by force, threat of force, or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear of immediate harm.
  • Other crime against person–Situation where an officer responds to a crime in progress against a person and the crime is not covered by other more specific categories in this list of options. (Crime against person is a criminal offense in which the offender uses or threatens to use force. Crimes against persons are those crimes whose victims are always individuals, e.g., murder, rape, assault, etc.)
  • Other crime against property–Situation where an officer responds to a crime in progress against property, and the crime is not covered by other more specific categories in this list of options. (Crime against property is a criminal offense in which the offender seeks to derive an unlawful benefit from, or do damage to, another’s property. The object of crimes against property is to obtain money, property, or some other benefit, e.g., robbery, bribery, burglary, etc.)

Respond to report of crime–Situation where an officer responds to a crime that has taken place at an earlier date and/or time, or the date and/or time of the crime is unknown. In these situations, there are no indications the perpetrator is at or near the scene of the crime. Examples include homicides, assaults, robberies, burglaries, larceny-theft situations, motor vehicle thefts, persons with firearms (no shots fired), reports of shootings/shots fired, tampering with vehicle reports, and other crimes against persons or properties.

  • Assault–The unlawful attack by one person upon another.
  • Burglary–The unlawful entry of a structure with the intent to commit a felony or a theft.
  • Homicide–The willful (nonnegligent) killing of one human being by another.
  • Larceny-theft–The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.
  • Motor vehicle theft–The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle, whether locked or unlocked.
  • Robbery–The taking, or attempting to take, of anything of value under confrontational circumstances from the care, custody, or control of a person by force, threat of force, or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear of immediate harm.
  • Other crime against person–Situation where an officer responds to a crime in progress against a person and the crime is not covered by other more specific categories in this list of options. (Crime against person is a criminal offense in which the offender uses or threatens to use force. Crimes against persons are those crimes whose victims are always individuals, e.g., murder, rape, assault, etc.)
  • Other crime against property–Situation where an officer responds to a crime in progress against property, and the crime is not covered by other more specific categories in this list of options. (Crime against property is a criminal offense in which the offender seeks to derive an unlawful benefit from, or do damage to, another’s property. The object of crimes against property is to obtain money, property, or some other benefit, e.g., robbery, bribery, burglary, etc.)

Traffic control (crash scene, directing traffic, etc.)–Situation where an officer is directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic around a construction zone, accident, or other road disruption, thus ensuring the safety of emergency response teams, construction workers, and the general public.

Unprovoked attack–An attack on an officer not prompted by official contact at the time of the incident between the officer and the offender.

Other (specify)–Criminal or noncriminal incidents that do not meet any descriptions previously listed. The use of this category should be used sparingly, and the specific call or reason for the activity should be described. Please provide a description of the specific circumstance.

Other terminology

Ambush–Situation where an officer is unexpectedly assaulted as the result of premeditated design by the perpetrator.

Law enforcement officer–All local, county, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers (such as municipal, county police officers, constables, state police, highway patrol, sheriffs, their deputies, federal law enforcement officers, marshals, special agents, etc.) who are sworn by their respective authorities to uphold the law and to safeguard the rights, lives, and property of individuals. They must have statutory arrest powers and be members of a law enforcement agency organized and funded for the purposes of keeping order and for preventing and detecting crimes, and apprehending those responsible.

Line of duty–Any action which an officer whose primary functions are crime control or investigations, reduction, enforcement of the criminal law and keeping public order is obligated and authorized by law to perform in the course of performing his/her functions. The officer is compensated by the public law enforcement agency which he or she serves.

Line-of-duty killing or assault –

  • An officer who is killed or assaulted while on duty and while acting in an official capacity.
  • An officer who is killed or assaulted while officially off duty and due to the past performance of his/her official duties or while reacting to a situation, such as a robbery in progress or a traffic accident, in an official capacity.

Serious bodily injury–Injury considered serious in nature to include broken bones, internal injuries, stitches required, etc. Examples of injuries not considered serious in nature include abrasions, minor lacerations, or contusions that require no more than usual first-aid treatment.