A platitude is a remark or statement that has some moral content, but it is used so often that it is no longer thoughtful. With that in mind, here is this month's platitude: police agencies must reduce officer deaths and injuries. The statement has moral content. All readers and law enforcement professionals would agree that agencies must reduce officer deaths and injuries, and the United States has passed robust laws to hold persons accountable for assaulting and killing officers. Yet, what has been done to address the officer deaths that are unrelated to criminal conduct? More than half of officer deaths in some years can be attributed to behaviors that are controllable, including fitness, emergency driving, and the wearing of seat belts and body armor. These truths are not being discussed, but they must be addressed if law enforcement truly hopes to reduce officer deaths and injuries.
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