Recently our Research team sent you a series of messages about our latest Research Bulletin on law enforcement fatalities for 2009.

And our detailed report of law enforcement service and sacrifice has been widely published in the media, including broadcast news, internet news and blogs, and heavily reported in newspapers--all in an effort to raise public awareness about officer safety.  Your support makes this possible.

In case you didn’t see them, here are just a few of the hundreds of news stories that have appeared across the country:

Getting this research information out—to the news media, to law enforcement professionals, to policymakers and to the general public—is vitally important to the safety of our officers. Only by understanding how many officers are dying in the line of duty, where these tragedies are occurring and under what circumstances, can we hope to develop the policies and programs that will make it safer for our officers.

A case in point: two years ago, the Memorial Fund reported that the number of officers killed in traffic-related incidents had hit an all-time high of 83. Awareness of the problem prompted action. Law enforcement trainers focused more on officer driving hazards and skills. More states enacted “Move Over” laws designed to give officers on the side of the roadway an added margin of safety. And most recently, Indiana Congressman Brad Ellsworth, himself a former sheriff, proposed the Emergency Responders Highway Safety Act to provide federal funding for increased training and awareness of measures to protect first responders on our nation’s roadways.

As our latest Research Bulletin documented, these and other efforts have made a difference: traffic-related fatalities have declined by one-third since 2007.

The research and analysis conducted by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund helps to bring widespread attention to the dangers officers continue to face and, as importantly, helps point to areas where we need to do a better job in protecting our officers.

You can help us conduct more of this type of vital officer safety research by making a donation today of $20.00 or more to help us start 2010 in a position of strength.

Together, we have made great strides in reducing law enforcement fatalities in the U.S. For information on what you can do to protect yourself and our officers on our roadways, visit our Drive Safely website.

Thank you, and Happy New Year.

Sincerely,