What is the risk of homicide in police work, and how does that risk compare to the national risk of homicide in the workplace?
A 1999 BLS study found that in the years 1992-97 45% of police fatalities resulted from homicides, with 6% from other assault/violence. During that period the workplace fatality rate for police was 14.2 per 100,000 workers. So the police fatality rate from homicide for 1992-97 was 6.4 homicides per 100,000 workers. BLS workplace homicide data for all occupations shows overall workplace homicides were 15.9% of workplace fatalities for 1992-97. During that period, the overall workplace fatality rate was 5 per 1000,000 workers. Thus overall fatality rate from homicide for 1992-97 was 0.8 homicides per 100,000 workers. So for 1992-97 police risk of workplace homicide was about 8 times the national average.
Source:Fatalities to Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters, 1992-97 (PDF), US Bureau of Labor Statistics
