Call For Safer Police Vehicles
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Author:
n/a -
Send To:
U.S. Congress
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Sponsored By:
American Police Veterans -
More Info at:
To: U.S. Congress
We, the people of the United States, demand that our lawmakers take action to protect American law enforcement officers and agents from death and career ending injury due to unsafe law enforcement vehicles.
Specifically, We the undersigned stand with our American Police Veterans in asking Congress to investigate the deaths and injuries of Americas law enforcement officers and agents, while occupying any law enforcement vehicle, so that deaths and career ending injuries may be reduced.
We demand:
that all newly purchased police vehicles be equipped with side impact air bags by the 2010 model year, that disabling an airbag in a police vehicle result in the forfeiture of all federal highway safety funds to the parent political subdivision for the following fiscal year, and that the National Highway Safety Administration investigate all police crashes involving a death or injury to an occupant law enforcement officer or agent.
The Problem
The 2007 mid year report of officer deaths showed more officers were killed in traffic-related incidents than from gunshots or any other single cause of death during the first six months of 2007. This continues a nine-year trend in which the largest number of officer deaths has involved traffic incidents, which include automobile, motorcycle and bicycle crashes, as well as officers being struck by other vehicles while outside their police vehicles. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19853442/
Officer deaths due to traffic accidents are up 16\% for 2006! There is little evidence to suggest that the use of emerging police technologies, the disabling of airbags, failing to mandate side air bags and inadequate seatbelts are being investigated as contributing factors to the rise in deaths and career ending injuries to our nations officers and agents.
American Police Veterans www.policevets.org offers an article in Beyond The Shield Journal of the American Police Veterans discussing the problem and calls upon Congress and other stakeholders to create laws to provide responsible levels of safety, investigate deaths and career ending injuries to police officers and agents.
While federal, state and community leaders are struggling with increased pension demands and employee health care costs. American Police Veterans believe that this failure to investigate and gain clear understanding of serious injuries to officers and agents is shifting an unfair financial cost on the families of deceased and injured officers. Ignoring the dynamics of unique police vehicular operations, while compromising the safety of the vehicle driver and passengers with a blend of cutting edge technology with poor decisions associated with adapting family passenger vehicles for police work. This situation leading to deaths and career ending injuries compounds the problems identifying and implementing effective injury prevention strategies.
Congress needs to use its oversight to shift agency focus from operations to preventing catastrophic preventable injuries. These injuries strip our nation of thousands of years of law enforcement experience and training each year, by shifting the financial burden onto the families of dead and injured law enforcement officers and agents.
Further information may be obtained at www.policevets.org. If you'd like to contribute to a knowledge base on unsafe cruisers and officer injuries please email CallForSaferPoliceVehicles@policevets.org
We, the people of the United States, demand that our lawmakers take action to protect American law enforcement officers and agents from death and career ending injury due to unsafe law enforcement vehicles.
Specifically, We the undersigned stand with our American Police Veterans in asking Congress to investigate the deaths and injuries of Americas law enforcement officers and agents, while occupying any law enforcement vehicle, so that deaths and career ending injuries may be reduced.
We demand:
that all newly purchased police vehicles be equipped with side impact air bags by the 2010 model year, that disabling an airbag in a police vehicle result in the forfeiture of all federal highway safety funds to the parent political subdivision for the following fiscal year, and that the National Highway Safety Administration investigate all police crashes involving a death or injury to an occupant law enforcement officer or agent.
The Problem
The 2007 mid year report of officer deaths showed more officers were killed in traffic-related incidents than from gunshots or any other single cause of death during the first six months of 2007. This continues a nine-year trend in which the largest number of officer deaths has involved traffic incidents, which include automobile, motorcycle and bicycle crashes, as well as officers being struck by other vehicles while outside their police vehicles. Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19853442/
Officer deaths due to traffic accidents are up 16\% for 2006! There is little evidence to suggest that the use of emerging police technologies, the disabling of airbags, failing to mandate side air bags and inadequate seatbelts are being investigated as contributing factors to the rise in deaths and career ending injuries to our nations officers and agents.
American Police Veterans www.policevets.org offers an article in Beyond The Shield Journal of the American Police Veterans discussing the problem and calls upon Congress and other stakeholders to create laws to provide responsible levels of safety, investigate deaths and career ending injuries to police officers and agents.
While federal, state and community leaders are struggling with increased pension demands and employee health care costs. American Police Veterans believe that this failure to investigate and gain clear understanding of serious injuries to officers and agents is shifting an unfair financial cost on the families of deceased and injured officers. Ignoring the dynamics of unique police vehicular operations, while compromising the safety of the vehicle driver and passengers with a blend of cutting edge technology with poor decisions associated with adapting family passenger vehicles for police work. This situation leading to deaths and career ending injuries compounds the problems identifying and implementing effective injury prevention strategies.
Congress needs to use its oversight to shift agency focus from operations to preventing catastrophic preventable injuries. These injuries strip our nation of thousands of years of law enforcement experience and training each year, by shifting the financial burden onto the families of dead and injured law enforcement officers and agents.
Further information may be obtained at www.policevets.org. If you'd like to contribute to a knowledge base on unsafe cruisers and officer injuries please email CallForSaferPoliceVehicles@policevets.org
44 Signatures
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George Brown
- Comments
- As the founder of American Police Veterans www.policevets.org, I've become aware of the true costs of unsafe police cruisers. American law enforcement officers and their families are paying a huge cost for poorly designed police vehicles and equipment. Disabled officers and agents are invited to join www.policevets.org. Families of police officers are invited to join www.familiesofpolice.org. Thank you for your support.
- City, State
- Attleborough Falls, Massachusetts
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Chuck Augustine
- City, State
- Hayden, Alabama
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Chaarles MacKellar
- City, State
- Lake Worth, Fl
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Franklyn Jones
- Comments
- disibility retired police officer
- City, State
- Oxford, Massachusetts
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Michael J. Saxe Retired Disabled Detective
- Comments
- This law must pass, our law enforcement lives depend on it!!!!
- City, State
- Ocala, Florida
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Inv. Dennis J. Cohen, Ret
- Comments
- Please support this petition prir to another police officer lossing his/her life wastefully losing their life. Thank You.
- City, State
- Carson City, Nevada. 89706-4929
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Bruce Mather
- Comments
- We agree based on our own testing with the CG-Lock
- City, State
- Hockessin, DE
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Karen Colleran
- City, State
- North Attleboro Ma
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Brian K. Horst
- Comments
- Disabled by on duty motor vehicle accident
- City, State
- Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
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Karen MacKellar
- Comments
- My husband's career was ended because of a traffic accident and some of the equipment in the vehicles. The space they sit to drive in is very limited.
- City, State
- Lake Worth, FL
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doris giunta
- Comments
- please keep our police officers safe
- City, State
- fall river ma.
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Ronald L. Ouellette
- City, State
- Lady Lake, Florida
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Tommy Gentry
- Comments
- disabled retired extradition detective
- City, State
- Waverly, Tn. 37185
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Pilar Colleran
- City, State
- Attleboro, MA
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Marie Siemens
- City, State
- Rapid City, SD
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M. E. Isenberg
- Comments
- active law enforcment officer...and we do need safer vehicles...and safer equipment within the units.
- City, State
- Valley Falls . Kansas
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Gregory Pfeifle
- City, State
- Thousand Oaks, CA
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Clifton Chang
- City, State
- Cola., SC 29229
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Janis Rigano
- City, State
- Cumberland, RI
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Dennis
- City, State
- Elizabeth,PA
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Margaret A. Covey
- Comments
- THIS IS URGENT!
- City, State
- Linwood, Kansas
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patty moore
- City, State
- portland maine
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david moore
- City, State
- portland maine
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Robert L. Peto
- Comments
- Computers, cameras and radar must be installed in a Gov. standard fasion that has been crash tested and deemed safe or eliminate them.
- City, State
- Howell, Michigan
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Joe S
- Comments
- Son of law enforcement officer.
- City, State
- MN
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Cynthia Starr
- City, State
- Columbia, LA
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Christopher Sanders
- City, State
- Orange Park, FL
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David Munyan
- City, State
- Stevensville, Maryland
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Charles D Huitt
- City, State
- Salem, OR
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Stan J De Long
- City, State
- Ballston Spa, NY
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Barbara Hinke
- Comments
- let's make everything safer, enough danger outside of unit.
- City, State
- San Mateo, California
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tracy a virruso
- City, State
- hometown, il
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Brian Hatfield
- Comments
- I am a Former Chief of Police
- City, State
- Oregon, Ohio
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Alan J. Odze
- Comments
- This is a critical request
- City, State
- New City, NY
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eva avezzano
- Comments
- my husbands partner was killed in an rmp accident
- City, State
- ny,new york
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Guilherme
- City, State
- Sao Paulo Brasil
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duggan
- City, State
- bradenton fl
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Christopher J. Doyle
- Comments
- Friday Feb 17th, 2006 I was T-boned in my cruiser at 50 mph by a drunk driver while blocking off mountain Rd due to a fallen tree. I suffered a laundry list of internal injuries, as well as a traumatic brain injury. If my cruiser had side impact airbags, I would have been able to return to work. Unfortunately I was Medically retired earlier this year. I went through speech, occupational, physical therapies. I have a 5 inch pin in my right hip. I have recovered from all of my other physical injuries, however the TBI will continue with me for life. Please consider adding the "side impact airbags" as part of the "police package" . It would have saved the town a lot of medical bills at minimal costs. Thank you.
- City, State
- Wilbraham, MA
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Matt Williams
- City, State
- Sterling CO
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Anthony Cornetta
- City, State
- Pittsburgh, PA
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Timothy Morgan
- Comments
- Armor the doors, too.
- City, State
- San Juan Capistrano, CA
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Tracy Sheets
- Comments
- I am a police officer recovering from injuries sustained from a high speed crash with a drunk driver.
- City, State
- College Station, Texas
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Susan Guard
- City, State
- Charlotte, North Carolina
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44
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