Law Enforcement Officer Safety Risks and Recommendations Bulletin

As part of the Bureau of Justice Assistance-funded initiative, Using Analytics to Improve Officer Safety, CNA’s Center for Justice Research and Innovation produced this bulletin as a companion document to an issue-brief providing a more in-depth look into the risks officers may face and suggested recommendations to mitigate these risks. 

Law enforcement officers (hereafter, officers) respond to some of the most unpredictable, traumatic, and violent encounters of any profession. Although much of an officer’s workday entails repetitive interactions, some calls for service or self-initiated interactions may escalate into violent or dangerous encounters. Regardless of how officer line- of-duty assaults, injuries, or fatalities occur, the consequences are tragic and complex. This bulletin provides information that can inform the development of targeted training, policies, and practices to promote officer safety. Specifically, it summarizes officer safety risks related to calls for service, traffic-related encounters, ambushes, and blue-on-blue encounters, and provides recommendations to promote officer safety related to tactical preparedness.