With only two months left in 2013, the line-of-duty death toll now stands at 88. If current trends hold, 2013 will see an annual total even lower than 2012 and last year was the lowest we have seen in more than 50 years! Despite the encouraging trend, it is important to stress that even one officer dying in the line of duty will never be acceptable. We must to endeavor to drive down this horrible number by examining every loss and determining how we can improve. The reality of police work is that it can be both dangerous and deadly.
During the month of October, we lost a total of nine officers. Four died in vehicle related incidents, two succumbed to heart attacks, one was shot to death, one died as the result of an accidental gunshot (friendly fire) and one was killed by a bomb. On behalf of everyone at Law Officer, I extend the most sincere condolences to the coworkers, families and departments who have suffered a loss during the past month.
In order of occurrence, following are the losses for October.
Upton County (Texas) Sheriff’s Department Deputy Sheriff Billy Kennedy, 38, was shot and killed after responding to a call at a convenience store in McCamey at approximately 11:15 pm. When he arrived at the scene he encountered a male subject and gunfire was exchanged. Despite being mortally wounded, Kennedy was able to return fire and wound the suspect.
U.S. Army CID Special Agent Joseph Peters, 24, was killed by an improvised explosive device while accompanying soldiers during combat operations in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Three soldiers were also killed in the explosion. Peters had served in the U.S. Army for six years and was assigned to the 286th Military Police Detachment (CID), 5th Military Police Battalion (CID), Vicenza, Italy. Special Agent Peters was posthumously awarded the Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart
Austin (Texas) Lieutenant Clay Crabb, 42, was killed in an automobile collision on US Highway 290 in Hays County while en route to the police station. His patrol car hydroplaned and slid into oncoming traffic during a period of heavy rain. Crabb had previously served with the San Angelo Police Department for four years.
Detroit (Mich.) Police Officer Patrick Hill, 37, succumbed to an accidental gunshot wound sustained six months earlier following a high speed pursuit of a murder suspect. The vehicle was boxed in by another police car and the murder suspect opened fire from inside his vehicle wounding one officer. Other officers returned fire, killing the subject. It is believed that shrapnel from a shotgun pellet fired by another officer struck Hill in the head. He was transported to a local hospital in critical condition and died of his wound this past month.
Eupora (Miss.) Police Officer Keith Crenshaw, 52 was struck and killed by a vehicle while deploying a tire deflation device during a vehicle pursuit. Three subjects in the vehicle were wanted in connection with multiple attempted robberies earlier in the morning and led officers on a high speed chase across three counties. Crenshaw deployed the TDD at approximately 10:00 a.m. as the chase entered Europa. The vehicle swerved into the median and struck Crenshaw. The vehicle then crashed into a utility pole. One subject was killed in the wreck and two others were taken into custody.
Hawthorne Park District (Ill.) Police Department Acting Police Chief Nick Colabufo, 52, suffered a fatal heart attack while handling a disturbance call at the Hawthorne Sports Complex in Cicero, Illinois. He collapsed and passed away a short time later. Colabufo had served as a part-time officer with the Hawthorne Park District Police Department for several years and had also served with the Cook County Sheriff's Office for 30 years.
Dekalb County (Ala.) Deputy Sheriff Allen Kay, 60, suffered a fatal heart attack following an incident in which he arrested two subjects for illegally possessing a handgun at the Talladega Superspeedway. He took the two into custody at gunpoint and then transported them to jail. After completing his shift he went to sleep and passed away.
Asheville (N.C.) Senior Police Officer Rob Bingaman, 37, was killed in a single vehicle crash when his patrol car plunged off of the I-240 Jeff Bowen Bridge. Officer Bingaman was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the Asheville Police Department for six years and was assigned to the Traffic Enforcement Unit.
Pontiac (Mich.) Police Officer Casey Kohlmeier, 29, and his canine, Draco, were killed when their patrol car was struck by another vehicle on I-55 at approximately 9:30 pm. Their patrol car was in a median turnaround when a vehicle left the northbound lanes and struck them during a period of heavy rain. Officer Kohlmeier and K9 Draco both suffered fatal injuries in the collision. The driver of the other vehicle survived.
The manner in which these officers died does not lessen their sacrifice nor does it lessen the pain that their deaths have caused. Each left behind grieving family members and an agency that will forever be changed. More than twenty children have lost their father.
Month after month, we continue to see losses that are made all the more tragic because they were absolutely preventable. The most effective way to change this is by concentrating on areas where officers have the most control. That’s why the five tenets of Below 100 are so important:
- Wear your belt.
- Wear your vest.
- Watch your speed.
- WIN – What’s Important Now?
- Remember: Complacency Kills!
Equally important, if we’re truly committed to improving officer safety we must have the courage to constructively review every LODD and to speak to others about using common sense. When others make decisions or engage in behavior that affects officer safety, we have a fundamental obligation to talk to them or, to use a more descriptive term, to have a courageous conversation. When it comes to officer safety, we truly are our brother’s keeper.
Learn more about Below 100 at www.Below100.com
Special thanks to our partners at Officer Down Memorial Page for the information on the fallen officers. They’re a great resource and you can learn more about them at www.ODMP.org