End of Watch Report November 2017

In November 2017, eight law enforcement officers died in the line of duty, bringing the year to date total to 118.  Of those eight deaths, three were the result of felonious gunfire, three were auto-related, one was the result of a heart attack, and one cause of death has not yet been determined.

Auto-related deaths are down 24% this year and gunfire deaths are down 28% in comparison to this time last year.  Line of duty deaths overall are down 19%.

The Officer Down Memorial Page offers our sincere condolences to the family, friends, and agencies who lost a loved one to a line of duty death in November 2017. We ask that you take a moment to read each of the memorials for these heroes and Remember the Fallen.

Deputy Sheriff James Martin Wallace
Richmond County Sheriff's Office (GA)

Senior Trooper Thomas Patrick Nipper
Texas Highway Patrol (TX)

Police Officer Jaimie Cox
Rockford Police Department (IL)



 

Detective Sean Matthew Suiter
Baltimore City Police Department (MD)

Police Officer Brian David Shaw
New Kensington Police Department (PA)

Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Martinez
United States Border Patrol (U.S. Gov't)

Deputy Sheriff Eric Overall
Oakland County Sheriff's Office (MI)

Trooper Damon Allen
Texas Highway Patrol (TX)

URGENT REQUEST for No Parole Letters

A cop killer in the state of New York will have a third parole hearing this month after a judge determined that letters requesting that parole be denied sent in by law enforcement officers in the previous two hearings were inappropriate to consider in the case.

More details are available here.

Trooper Emerson Dillon, Jr. of the New York State Police was murdered by John Ruzas in 1974.  Ruzas was on parole at the time and, along with an accomplice, had just committed an armed robbery when Trooper Dillon pulled over the car he was driving in.  Trooper Dillon was 38 years old at the time of his murder and left behind a wife and six children.  Additional incident details are available on ODMP.

ODMP believes that the voice of the law enforcement community should be considered in the case of this parole hearing.

Please send in letters using our No Parole system asking that this cop killer be kept behind bars; personalize your letter if you see fit and send as soon as possible to the address listed:
https://www.odmp.org/noparole/prepare/4103

Letters can also be submitted online here; due to time constraints this may be the best option:
http://www.doccs.ny.gov/DOCCSWebLettersToBoardofParoleForm.aspx

End of Watch Report: October 2017

Last month, eleven law enforcement officers gave their lives in the line of duty in the United States.  Of those deaths, five were the result of gunfire, three were the result of assault, one officer drowned, one died in an automobile crash, and one died as the result of a heart attack. Deaths took place in eight different states.

The total number of line of duty deaths at the end of October stands at 109, down from this point last year across every category tracked by ODMP.

The Officer Down Memorial Page extends our condolences to those families, friends, and agencies who lost a loved one to a line of duty death in October 2017.  Please take the time to read the memorials of these fallen heroes:

Corporal Michael Paul Middlebrook
Lafayette Police Department, LA

Officer Charleston V. Hartfield
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (NV)

Officer Floyd East, Jr.
Texas Tech University Police Department (TX)

Sergeant Michael Shannon Robinson
Christiana Care Health System Department of Public Safety (DE)

Correctional Officer Justin James Smith
North Carolina Department of Public Safety - Division of Prisons (NC)

Correction Enterprise Manager Veronica Darden
North Carolina Department of Public Safety - Division of Prisons (NC)

Officer Marcus Anthony MacNeil
New Orleans Police Department (LA)

Officer Craig E. Lehner
Buffalo Police Department (NY)

Officer Justin A. Leo
Girard Police Department (OH)

Trooper Daniel Keith Rebman, Jr.
South Carolina Highway Patrol (SC)

Correctional Officer Wendy Shannon
North Carolina Department of Public Safety - Division of Prisons (NC)

C.O.P.S. National Conference on Law Enforcement Wellness & Trauma

Our friends at C.O.P.S. are hosting their National Conference on Law Enforcement Wellness & Trauma from November 10-12th in Grapevine, TX. WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND? C.O.P.S. recognizes that every law enforcement officer is subjected to crisis and tragedy as a part of their job. They see the most unthinkable acts of criminal behavior in our society. But are we doing a good job helping officers navigate these events over a course of a twenty to thirty year career? We continue to see officers suffering from PTSD in growing numbers. Divorce rates continue to be higher for officers than the general public and tragically, too many officers choose to end their own lives each year. This conference offers a much needed focus on officer wellness and the need to pro-actively address the cumulative stresses that can occur over an officer’s career. This conference is for all law enforcement officers (active or retired) nationwide. It is recommended for peer supporters, counselors, police chaplains and law enforcement spouses/significant others. Law enforcement survivors are also welcome to attend.  Location & Hotel: Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center 1800 Texas 26 East Grapevine, TX 76051 $137 per room + tax Amenities include complimentary breakfast and transportation to/from DFW International Airport. The deadline to reserve your room with the C.O.P.S. discounted rate is Friday, October 20, 2017. You can make your reservations by calling 1-800-984-1344. Be sure to mention that you are part of the C.O.P.S. National Conference Block to receive the discounted rate.   Fees The fee to attend is $300 per person. The registration fee covers classes, three meals (two lunches and Law Enforcement Appreciation Night) and networking room. If the participant secures a room through the Host Hotel, then breakfast vouchers will also be provided. C.O.P.S. believes that spouses/significant others play a major role in the overall well-being of law enforcement officer wellness. Spouses and significant others who are attending with a registered participant may attend all classes, meals and events with their officer at a reduced rate of $125.  The deadline to register is October 20, 2017. REGISTER HERE

End of Watch Report September 2017

In September 2017, twelve law enforcement officers in the United States lost their lives in the line of duty.  Of those, five officers died due to auto-related incidents (two motorcycle crashes, two automobile crashes, and one vehicular assault), three officers died as a result of felonious gunfire, one died from a heart attack and one from a duty-related illness, and two drowned in the rescue and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Line of duty deaths this year are down across the board with a 17% decrease in gunfire line of duty deaths and a 5% decrease in auto-related line of duty deaths.  

The Officer Down Memorial Page extends our sincere condolences to the families, friends, and agencies who lost a loved one to a line of duty death in September 2017.

Please take a moment to read the memorials for those officers who made the ultimate sacrifice last month.

Corporal Thomas Hannon
Dover Police Department, DE

Police Officer Bernie Domagala
Chicago Police Department, IL

Deputy Constable Mark Diebold
Tarrant County Constable's Office-Precinct 5, TX

Police Officer William Mathews
Wayzata Police Department, MN

Sergeant Joseph Ossman
Florida Department of Corrections, FL


 

Deputy Sheriff Julie Bridges
Hardee County Sheriff's Office, FL

Agent Roberto Medina-Mariani
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR

Police Officer Elias Martinez
Metropolitan Transit Authority Police Dept, TX

Trooper Timothy O'Neill
Michigan State Police, MI


 

Agent Héctor Matías-Torres
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR




 

Agent Ángel Lorenzo-González
Puerto Rico Police Department, PR



 

Detective Kristen Hearne
Polk County Police Department, GA

********************

End of Watch Report August 2017

August 2017 tied January as the deadliest month of 2017 with 14 line of duty deaths.  Two incidents in August resulted in multiple officer fatalities: one in Virginia and one in Florida.  Of the 14 officers who gave their lives last month, four died as a result of gunfire, four died in auto-related incidents (three automobile crashes and one vehicle pursuit), two died as the result of heart attacks, two died in an aircraft crash, one died as the result of an animal bite, and one drowned.  Line of duty deaths took place in seven different states and in Puerto Rico.

At the end of August, line of duty deaths stood at 86 for the year, slightly below this point in 2016.

The Officer Down Memorial Page offers our condolences to the family, friends, and agencies that lost a loved one to a line of duty death in August 2017.  Please take a moment to read the memorials and Remember the Fallen:

Deputy Sheriff Jason Fann
Yoakum County Sheriff's Department (TX)

Police Officer Gary Lee Michael, Jr.
Clinton Police Department (MO)

Detective Elise Ybarra
Abilene Police Department (TX)

Corporal Monty D. Platt
West Texas A&M University Police Dept (TX)

Lieutenant Pilot Henry John "Jay" Cullen III
Virginia State Police (VA)

Trooper Pilot Berke M. M. Bates
Virginia State Police (VA)

Deputy Sheriff James E. Clark
Quitman County Sheriff's Office (MS)

Correctional Officer David Torres-Chaparro
Puerto Rico Police Department (PR)

Police Officer Matthew Scott Baxter
Kissimmee Police Department (FL)

Sergeant Richard "Sam" Howard
Kissimmee Police Department (FL)

Deputy Sheriff Robert Rumfelt
Lake County Sheriff's Office (CA)

Deputy Sheriff Timothy Braden
Drew County Sheriff's Office (AR)

Sergeant Steve Perez
Houston Police Department (TX)

Deputy Sheriff Robert French
Sacramento County Sheriff's Department (CA)