Law Officers are Relatively Safe and Training Would Make Their Jobs Even Safer

You have probably heard the age old adage that police “put their lives on the line to keep us safe” many times. While this is true to some extent, it is the common response used to justify higher salaries and increased benefits. But is being a cop really that dangerous of a profession? According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, they have relatively safe jobs when compared to what is considered more mainstream employment such as a bus driver, landscaper or construction laborer.

The carpenter building your new deck is nearly 2 ½ times more likely to die on the job than the patrol officer on the beat. And the lumber jack that cut down the tree for that new deck is 10 times more likely to take his last breath doing his job than Officer Friendly is.  

Most on the job deaths for officers are caused by traffic accidents or incidents of friendly fire. A minor change in policy on how drivers are stopped for traffic violations would dramatically reduce the number of traffic fatalities. This one simple change would reduce the death rate to a number very close to main stream employment, 4.3 deaths per 100,000 employees from its current rate of 12.1 per 100,000.  Better training on handling firearms and their use in tactical situations has the potential to virtually eliminate friendly fire incidents.  

I do, however, believe the boys and girls that patrol our streets should be well paid, but they should be paid for a job well done. When they have a problem keeping their co-workers from committing crimes, I have a problem agreeing to their demands for more money. I am not saying they shouldn’t be well paid, but let’s stop the rhetoric. The job is no more physically demanding or dangerous than that of your gardener.

Deaths per 100,000 employed
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 2000

I think these figures make it clear that we should not continue down this road. Instead of paying officers ever increasing salaries, that money would be better spent to provide additional mandatory training and policy changes to increase job safety.

SACPD