Brown Releases County-by-County Report on Ohio Officers That Died on the Job Over Past Ten Years

 

Bipartisan Bill Would Create National System Modeled on “Amber Alert” System; At Least 11 States—But Not Ohio—Currently Have Statewide “Blue Alert” Systems in Place

WASHINGTON, D.C.—During National Police Week, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) held a news conference call today to announce a new bill he is cosponsoring that would create a national “Blue Alert” system aimed at apprehending criminals who injure or kill law enforcement officers serving in the line of duty.

“Every year, dozens of law enforcement officers are killed in the line of duty, with thousands more injured or assaulted while on the job. We can’t prevent every instance of violence against law enforcement officials, but we can do something to track down and apprehend those who engage in these heinous crimes,” Brown said. “We ask so much of our police officers—from investigating violent crimes to patrolling dangerous neighborhoods. It’s time to give back by setting up a means of protecting them and bringing their assailants to justice.”

“This week, during National Police Week, we remember those law enforcement officials whose lives were lost while doing their job—protecting the public. We can and should honor their memory—and perhaps even discourage criminals from committing these crimes in the first place—by establishing a national ‘Blue Alert’ system,” Brown continued.

Brown released a county-by-county report on the number of Ohio law enforcement officers that died on the job over the past 10 years. Forty-seven Ohio law enforcement officers died in the line of duty since 2001, including six in Cuyahoga County and eight in Franklin County. The data was collected from the Officer Down Memorial Page and includes all line-of-duty deaths, felonious and non-felonious, since 2001.

Brown was joined on the call by Sara Winfield of Marysville. Her husband, Brandy Winfield, a deputy in the Marion County Sheriff's Department, was shot and killed while on the job in October 2004. Winfield is the past president of the Ohio chapter of Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.), a nonprofit aimed at assisting the surviving family members and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. City of Lorain Police Chief Cel Rivera, who has called for a “Blue Alert” system in Ohio, also joined the call to outline the need for such a program.

According to the FBI, 48 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in the United States in 2009, the last year for which data is available. According to preliminary statistics released this week by the FBI, 56 law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty during 2010. Law enforcement agencies also reported that 57,268 officers were assaulted while performing their duties in 2009.

A national “Blue Alert” system would be modeled after the “Amber Alert” system currently used to notify the public about a missing child. The nationwide alert system would be used to disseminate critical information about the suspect to law enforcement agencies, the public, and the media.

According to C.O.P.S., most statewide “Blue Alert” systems require four general criteria for an alert to be issued. These criteria are:

  • A law enforcement officer must have been killed or seriously injured by an offender.
  • The investigating law enforcement agency must determine that the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel.
  • A detailed description of the offender’s vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag must be available for broadcast to the public.
  • The investigating law enforcement agency of jurisdiction must recommend activation of the Blue Alert to the State Operations Center.

When a Blue Alert is activated, media broadcasts and Department of Transportation messaging signs would be utilized to distribute information identifying a detailed description of the offender, the offender’s vehicle, and license plate information. C.O.P.S. notes that such an alert could help hinder the assailants’ ability to flee the state and might also facilitate a speedy capture of the criminal, helping eliminate the threat they would pose on other communities and law enforcement personnel.

At least 11 states— including Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, Maryland, Delaware, Alabama, Florida, California, Georgia, Mississippi, and Virginia—currently have a statewide “Blue Alert” system. Ohio has no such system in place.

The bill has been endorsed by several law enforcement organizations, including C.O.P.S., the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), the National Sherriff’s Association, and the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association.

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