Posted 12:30 am Monday, December 31, 2007
Deaths Increase In The Line Of Duty
By KENNETH DEAN
Staff Writer
Three area peace officers lost their lives in the line of duty this year - a year that saw the sharpest increase in officer deaths in more than a decade with the exception of 2001 when the nation suffered the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The information released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors showed there were 186 officer deaths through Dec. 28, up from 145 deaths in 2006.
The report for 2007 lists 81 officers who died in traffic incidents, which surpassed the record of 78, set in 2000. Shooting deaths increased from 52 to 69, a rise of about 33 percent.
"Most of us don't realize that an officer is being killed in America, on average, every other day," said Craig W. Floyd, chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
IN THE LINE OF DUTY
The law enforcement family in East Texas dealt with the deaths of three officers in 2007. The first was Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Todd Holmes, who died in March when his vehicle was struck by an 18-wheeler.
DPS spokeswoman Lisa Block said at the time that Holmes was parked on the northbound shoulder of U.S. Highway 59, about a mile north of Farm-to-Market Road 1793, when he activated his emergency lights and began to turn toward the crossover to go south on U.S. 59 to pursue another vehicle.
"As he turned, he went into the path of an 18-wheeler that was also traveling northbound. The driver of the 18-wheeler tried to take evasive action, but struck the patrol vehicle on the driver's side," she said.
Staff Writer
Three area peace officers lost their lives in the line of duty this year - a year that saw the sharpest increase in officer deaths in more than a decade with the exception of 2001 when the nation suffered the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The information released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund and Concerns of Police Survivors showed there were 186 officer deaths through Dec. 28, up from 145 deaths in 2006.
The report for 2007 lists 81 officers who died in traffic incidents, which surpassed the record of 78, set in 2000. Shooting deaths increased from 52 to 69, a rise of about 33 percent.
"Most of us don't realize that an officer is being killed in America, on average, every other day," said Craig W. Floyd, chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
IN THE LINE OF DUTY
The law enforcement family in East Texas dealt with the deaths of three officers in 2007. The first was Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Todd Holmes, who died in March when his vehicle was struck by an 18-wheeler.
DPS spokeswoman Lisa Block said at the time that Holmes was parked on the northbound shoulder of U.S. Highway 59, about a mile north of Farm-to-Market Road 1793, when he activated his emergency lights and began to turn toward the crossover to go south on U.S. 59 to pursue another vehicle.
"As he turned, he went into the path of an 18-wheeler that was also traveling northbound. The driver of the 18-wheeler tried to take evasive action, but struck the patrol vehicle on the driver's side," she said.
Patricia Ogburn cries at the funeral of husband, Tony Ogburn, at Oak Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Athens on May 24. Henderson County Sheriff’s Deputy Tony Ogburn was killed May 17 while responding to a call in Payne Springs.
In May, two Henderson County Sheriff's deputies were killed when they answered a domestic disturbance call in Payne Springs.
Paul Steven Habelt, 63, a 13-year veteran, and Tony Price Ogburn, 61, with the department for five years, were pronounced dead at the scene after they were gunned down with a rifle by Randall Wayne Mays when they got out of their patrol car, said HCSO Lt. Pat McWilliams.
A third deputy, 40-year-old Kevin Harris, was wounded but has since recovered.
The two slain deputies were attempting to aid of a fellow officer who was already pinned down by Mays' gunfire. He was inside his home, situated down a long dirt road near the Cedar Creek Reservoir town of Payne Springs.
SAFETY AND NEW POLICIES
Floyd credited technology improvements with helping reverse the trend. Safety vests save lives and non-lethal devices such as electric stun guns prevent some fatal encounters, he said. He attributed the spike in shooting deaths to the increase in violent crime nationwide.
"Law enforcement is the front line against violent criminals," he said.
Of the 81 traffic deaths this year, 60 officers died in car crashes, 15 were hit by cars and six died in motorcycle crashes.
Police departments have worked to limit high-speed chases and only seven of the car crashes were attributed to such pursuits, Floyd said. Crashes involving a single police cruiser responding to a call were far more common, he said.
In Tyler, police supervisors must OK any pursuits unless human life is threatened.
After traffic crashes and shootings, physical causes such as heart attacks were the leading cause of death, contributing to 18 fatalities. Other causes of death included smaller categories such as airplane and boating accidents, for an additional 18 fatalities.
The report counted six times in which multiple officers were shot and killed in the same incident, such as the Henderson County shooting.
Domestic violence and traffic stops were the circumstances that most commonly led to fatal police shootings this year, the report found.
The average age of officers who died in 2007 was 39. Most were men and had served an average of about 11 years in law enforcement.
Officer fatalities have generally declined since peaking at 277 in 1974, the report said. Historically, officers have been more likely to be killed in an attack than to die accidentally, and shootings outnumber car crashes. But those trends began to reverse in the late 1990s. This year, about six of every 10 deaths were accidental.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Paul Steven Habelt, 63, a 13-year veteran, and Tony Price Ogburn, 61, with the department for five years, were pronounced dead at the scene after they were gunned down with a rifle by Randall Wayne Mays when they got out of their patrol car, said HCSO Lt. Pat McWilliams.
A third deputy, 40-year-old Kevin Harris, was wounded but has since recovered.
The two slain deputies were attempting to aid of a fellow officer who was already pinned down by Mays' gunfire. He was inside his home, situated down a long dirt road near the Cedar Creek Reservoir town of Payne Springs.
SAFETY AND NEW POLICIES
Floyd credited technology improvements with helping reverse the trend. Safety vests save lives and non-lethal devices such as electric stun guns prevent some fatal encounters, he said. He attributed the spike in shooting deaths to the increase in violent crime nationwide.
"Law enforcement is the front line against violent criminals," he said.
Of the 81 traffic deaths this year, 60 officers died in car crashes, 15 were hit by cars and six died in motorcycle crashes.
Police departments have worked to limit high-speed chases and only seven of the car crashes were attributed to such pursuits, Floyd said. Crashes involving a single police cruiser responding to a call were far more common, he said.
In Tyler, police supervisors must OK any pursuits unless human life is threatened.
After traffic crashes and shootings, physical causes such as heart attacks were the leading cause of death, contributing to 18 fatalities. Other causes of death included smaller categories such as airplane and boating accidents, for an additional 18 fatalities.
The report counted six times in which multiple officers were shot and killed in the same incident, such as the Henderson County shooting.
Domestic violence and traffic stops were the circumstances that most commonly led to fatal police shootings this year, the report found.
The average age of officers who died in 2007 was 39. Most were men and had served an average of about 11 years in law enforcement.
Officer fatalities have generally declined since peaking at 277 in 1974, the report said. Historically, officers have been more likely to be killed in an attack than to die accidentally, and shootings outnumber car crashes. But those trends began to reverse in the late 1990s. This year, about six of every 10 deaths were accidental.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
