A Dangerous 24 Hours for Law Enforcement

The past 24 hours have been especially dangerous for U.S. law enforcement with 11 officers shot in five states: Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As of January 24, 2011, 14 law enforcement officer fatalities have been recorded across eight states, with multiple deaths in Florida (5), Texas (2), and Ohio (2). Florida and Texas were among the top five states leading officer deaths in 2010 (along with California, Illinois, and Georgia).

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"The devastating spike in law enforcement officer fatalities in 2010 has tragically continued in the first month of 2011," said National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund Chairman & CEO Craig W. Floyd. "I have never seen anything like it. The violent events of the past 24 hours in Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Oregon and Washington have been detrimental to America's peace officers, taking the lives of two and injuring several others. We must do everything in our power to stop these senseless and heinous crimes against our law enforcement personnel," he said.

On Monday, three officers were shot — two fatally wounded, and one injured — while serving an aggravated battery warrant at a St. Petersburg, FL, home. On Sunday, four officers were shot at a Detroit, MI, police precinct; two Kitsap County, WA, Sheriff's Deputies were shot at a Wal-Mart while responding to a call reporting a suspicious person; and police officers in both Indianapolis, IN, and Lincoln City, OR, were critically injured in shootings during traffic stops.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund's preliminary 2010 End of Year Officer Fatality Report, officer fatalities reached 162, up nearly 40% from 117 in 2009. Of the 162 officers killed in the line of duty, 61 were shot — a 24% increase from 2009. Tragically, the trend continued with 14 officer deaths in the first month of the New Year, 10 of which resulted from shootings accounting for a 40% increase compared to the same time in 2010. The following nine officers are the most recent gunfire-related fatalities:

• Clark County (OH) Sheriff's Deputy Suzanne Hopper was shot and killed while responding to a disturbance call at a mobile home park on New Year's Day.
• Rainier (OR) Police Chief Ralph Painter was killed by a fatal gunshot wound to the head on January 5, 2011 while responding to a call reporting a car theft at a strip mall.
• Baltimore City (MD) Police Officer William H. Torbit, Jr. was fatally shot during an altercation outside a night club on January 9, 2011.
• Lakewood (NJ) Patrolman Christopher Matlosz was shot and killed as he approached a suspect while patrolling a residential area on January 14, 2011.
• Livonia (MI) Officer Larry Nehasil was fatally wounded by a burglary suspect during a shootout on January 17, 2011.
• Miami-Dade (FL) Officers Roger Castillo and Amanda Haworth were fatally shot as they attempted to serve a murder warrant at a Miami, Florida home on January 20, 2011.
• St. Petersburg (FL) Sergeant Tom Baitinger and Officer Jeffrey Yaslowitz were gunned down and killed while attempting to serve a warrant on January 24, 2011. A U.S. Marshal was also wounded but is in stable condition.

"As recent events show us, there is a more brazen criminal prowling the streets of America and our law enforcement officers — those responsible for protecting our communities — are uniformed targets for these criminals," Mr. Floyd said.

About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a private non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the service and sacrifice of America's law enforcement officers and to promoting officer safety. The NLEOMF maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., which contains the names of 18,983 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history. The Memorial Fund is now working to create the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of law enforcement through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts and extensive educational programming. For more information, visit www.LawMemorial.org.

To schedule an interview with Memorial Fund Chairman & CEO, Craig W. Floyd, contact Steve Groeninger, [email protected].

SOURCE National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund