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It’s been one year since Law Officer announced the Below 100 initiative in the October 2010 issue. Below 100’s mission is simple: Reduce annual line-of-duty deaths to less than 100, a number not seen since 1944. The method is straightforward: Address those areas that occur with frequency and are under the direct control of officers, what many have called “the low-hanging fruit.”
The truth: More officers die in vehicle-related incidents than by gunfire. Some years, vehicle-
related deaths have exceeded not only gunfire but all types of felonious assault homicides. This is absolutely something we can change.
In January, we presented Below 100 at a SHOT Show educational forum in Las Vegas. In April, more than 70 trainers participated in a Train-the-Trainer forum at the International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers (ILEETA) conference. Some of those trainers have gone on to present Below 100 to hundreds of officers and two trainers have already been successful in getting Below 100 integrated into state academy training. Below 100 concepts now form a fundamental part of many Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) courses, and Lifeline Training (
www.LifelineTraining.com) is now including Below 100 in their survival training.
Train-the-Trainer events have taken place in Charlotte, Chicago, Calgary (yes, Canada!) and Anaheim. More are being scheduled in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Little Rock (Ark.) and northern Idaho. These training events will help us move toward the “tipping point” of cultural change that will result in officers making better decisions and encouraging an environment where mutual accountability for safety is common.
From You
So far, the feedback has been tremendous. Many have told me that Below 100 is powerful because it’s simple. At a recent presentation put on by Lifeline Training, Illinois State Trooper Mary Sykes, a 25-year veteran, said: “We have needed this for years.” Sykes said she had long followed LODDs on the Officer Down Memorial Page (
www.ODMP.org) and recognized that many of them could have been prevented.
Although we have significant momentum behind us, there are a couple of areas that need clarification. First, it’s wrong to assume that Below 100 means that losing 100 officers is somehow OK. This just isn’t true, and here’s my abbreviated response to this criticism: Any loss of an officer is unacceptable, but not all of them are preventable. Below 100 represents a realistic goal that we can achieve today by having officers use their safety equipment and practice common sense. The sad reality is that we’ll always suffer some losses. That’s the nature of our business and it’s been happening since the beginning of policing.
Secondly, I’ve heard some concern that Below 100 doesn’t address ambush killings. Again, this just isn’t true. Any ambush killing of a police officer that could have been reasonably prevented by the officer is definitely included in the last two Below 100 tenets: WIN—What’s Important Now? and Remember: Complacency Kills!
The very nature of an ambush means it’s a surprise attack, often done at a distance. There’s just little that can be done to prevent a motivated killer with a high-power rifle and the benefit of surprise from killing an officer. However, attacks—even violent and vicious ones that are reasonably predictable—are absolutely preventable. Officers who think WIN and maintain their skills and readiness can and will prevail.
To actually orchestrate the necessary changes, Below 100 must engage on five fronts.
1. Training—both academy and in-service: The concepts of Below 100 must be ingrained at the beginning and reinforced every time an officer comes back to train.
2. Field training officers: FTOs are the lynchpin of any organization and they must be part of Below 100. An FTO who discourages seatbelt use is only endangering the trainee.
3. Supervisors: Good front-line supervisors ensure safety equipment is used and good tactics are reinforced.
4. Command staff: Commanders determine both policy and discipline. Practical and realistic policy combined with a reasonable level of accountability is a must.
5. Awareness: That’s where we come in. In our magazine and on our website, we’re committed to advancing the mission of Below 100. We’re also working with ODMP and COPS in this effort.
In Sum
Please, join us in this effort. The life you save may be your own. For more information, visit
www.Below100.com. —Dale Stockton, Editor in chief
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