The vast majority of cases I have reviewed are the result of a struggle and / or an assault.UpTheIrons wrote:I wonder how this happens. Is it a perp going for the gun "preemptively"? Is he trying to get "the drop" on the LEO? Or is it the result of a struggle?stroo wrote:Do remember seeing several where guns were taken from LEOs and used to kill them.
Not to make it the point of this discussion (please do not derail the thread!), but I wonder how that also compares to OC vs. CC. You KNOW a cop has a gun - you can see it right there, where the concealed carrier is harder to identify.
I know, I know...retention holster, etc., but a perp shouldn't know a concealed carrier has a gun until he's looking down the muzzle and the trigger is being pressed. That may make it harder for him to wrestle it away. Don't know the final facts of this case yet, but it shows some real guts by the young lady.
Most uniformed LEO's these days wear Level II or Level III retention holsters which make it pretty difficult (though not impossible) to snatch the gun, and the current defensive tactics training in handgun retention is much better than it was years ago.
Back in the 70's we were told that up to 20% of officers killed by felons were killed with their own guns due largely to awareness, training, and equipment issues. This has changed markedly over the years for the better. In 1973, there were 134 officers killed during felonies in the U.S. Last year, the total was 48, and only two of these were killed with their own weapons.
Forty seven officers died from accidental causes last year, and the vast majority of these (34) were vehicle related incidents.
Details on incidents where officers were killed or assaulted can be found in the annual FBI report of this data. The 2009 report is located here.