{ "id": "IN10527", "type": "CRS Insight", "typeId": "INSIGHTS", "number": "IN10527", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 454362, "date": "2016-07-19", "retrieved": "2017-04-21T15:17:26.759473", "title": "Police Shootings and Federal Support for Law Enforcement Safety", "summary": "Law Enforcement Officer Deaths\nThe recent shooting deaths of police officers in Dallas, TX, and Baton Rouge, LA, have served as a reminder of the danger law enforcement officers can face while serving the public. While these attacks have heightened attention on deaths suffered by police officers in the line of duty, data indicate that the number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty has generally decreased over the past three decades. However, the number of officers killed in ambush situations has remained fairly steady. Annually, on average, nine law enforcement officers have died in ambush situations between 1979 and 2014. \nFigure 1. Number of Law Enforcement Officers Feloniously Killed and Killed in Ambush Situations\n1979-2014\n/\nSource: Data from the FBI\u2019s Uniform Crime Reporting Program, as reported in the Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics, Table 3.155.2012 (for 1979-2004) and Law Enforcement Officers Killed & Assaulted, 2014 (for 2005-2014).\nNotes: (1) \u201cAmbush situations\u201d includes officers killed in situations identified as \u201cambush (entrapment/premeditation)\u201d and \u201cunprovoked attack.\u201d (2) Data for 2001 do not include the deaths of 72 law enforcement officers during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.\nDepartment of Justice (DOJ) Grant Programs\nThe attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge have generated interest in what support the federal government provides for local law enforcement officer safety. Most safety equipment and training for law enforcement officers is provided by the state or local agency employing the officer. However, several grant programs from and initiatives supported by DOJ can help promote law enforcement officers\u2019 safety.\nEdward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program\nThe JAG program provides funds to state, local, and tribal governments that can be used for training, personnel, equipment, and supplies related to \u201claw enforcement programs.\u201d It is possible that state or local governments could use their funds to provide safety equipment or training to law enforcement officers. Because JAG is a formula grant program, state and local governments are only eligible to apply for calculated allocations based on formulas established under the grant. Thus, training or equipment needs compete with other needs for allocated monies. The breadth of the JAG program can be a benefit and a curse: local governments have latitude to decide how to utilize funds, but spending them on one program means that funds cannot be spent on another program.\nCongress appropriated $347 million for the program for FY2016 (minus set-asides). \nThe Matching Grant Program for Armor Vests (Bulletproof Vests, or BPV Program)\nThe BPV program provides funds to state, local, and tribal governments to help purchase armor vests for use by law enforcement officers and court officers. Grants under the program cannot pay for more than 50% of the cost of purchasing a new armor vest.\nThe Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA, part of DOJ), starting with FY2011 grant awards, required all law enforcement agencies applying for funding under the BPV program to have a \u201cmandatory wear\u201d policy in effect. BJA put this requirement into place as a way to reduce line of duty deaths and to ensure that armor vests purchased with funds provided by the program are used.\nCongress appropriated $23 million for this program for FY2016.\nPreventing Violence Against Law Enforcement and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability (VALOR) Initiative\nBJA created the VALOR Initiative in 2010 to provide training for state, local, and tribal police to help prevent violence against law enforcement officers and enhance officer safety, wellness, and resiliency. VALOR provides classroom and Web-based training, research, and resources. Since the inception of the initiative, more than 22,000 law enforcement personnel have received VALOR training.\nCongress started to provide funding directly for the VALOR Initiative through a set-aside from the annual appropriation for JAG. Congress appropriated $15 million for VALOR for FY2016.\nBody-Worn Cameras (BWCs)\nBWCs are mobile cameras that allow law enforcement officers to record what they see and hear. They can be attached to a helmet, a pair of glasses, or an officer\u2019s shirt or badge. While BWCs are usually described as a means to promote officer accountability and reduce the use of force by officers, they might also help decrease assaults against officers. The National Institute of Justice notes that \u201c[t]he use of a camera system, whether in-car or body-worn, can deter violence or other negative behavior and help to convict a person who would choose to attack an officer.\u201d A lieutenant who oversaw the implementation of the Mesa (AZ) Police Department\u2019s BWC program notes, \u201c[a]nytime you know you\u2019re being recorded, it\u2019s going to have an impact on your behavior. When our officers encounter a confrontational situation, they\u2019ll tell the person that the camera is running. That\u2019s often enough to deescalate the situation.\u201d \nCongress appropriated $23 million for FY2016 toward a program to help law enforcement agencies purchase BWCs. Under the solicitation BJA opened to award these funds, law enforcement agencies can use their grants to cover the cost of developing, implementing, and evaluating a BWC program. Grant funds can be used to cover up to 50% of the cost of purchasing BWCs for officers.\nActive Shooter Training from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)\nThe FBI reports that after the Newtown, CT, school shooting, approximately 225 FBI tactical instructors from around the country were trained in Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) protocols, and they are using what they learned to assist with the increased demand for the training from state, local, tribal, and campus law enforcement agencies. In addition, FBI field offices have brought law enforcement command staff together to discuss best practices and lessons learned from prior mass shooting incidents. Such gatherings include discussions and instructions related to specific aspects of active shooter incidents, including pre-event indicators (i.e., behavioral analysis), complex crime scene management and evidence collection, crisis management, victim assistance, media matters, and improvised explosive devices.", "type": "CRS Insight", "typeId": "INSIGHTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/IN10527", "sha1": "993b57b3fc51b452df14a91f19cde165078e5e3b", "filename": "files/20160719_IN10527_993b57b3fc51b452df14a91f19cde165078e5e3b.html", "images": null } ], "topics": [] } ], "topics": [ "CRS Insights" ] }