Adopted at the 117th Annual Conference
Orlando, FL.
October 27, 2010
Seat Belt Use by Police Officers
Submitted by: Highway Safety Committee
HSC.004.a10

WHEREAS, the FBIs Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) program indicates that automobile and motorcycle crashes are the primary cause of accidental police officer deaths, accounting for 66 percent of those killed accidentally between 1999 and 2008 (492 officers); and

WHEREAS, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that seat belt use has saved more lives than any other vehicle safety program, and that overall seat belt usage increased from about 11 percent in 1979-82, to 84 percent in 2009, the highest rate in U.S. history; and

WHEREAS, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) indicates that 35 percent of the 37 officers killed in auto crashes in 2009 were not wearing seat belts; and

WHEREAS, wearing seat belts is even more critical today than in the past because so many other safety features are intertwined with, and are dependent upon, their proper use; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), NLEOMF, and NHTSA will partner during 2011 to reduce law enforcement officer deaths to below 100 per year for the first time since 1944; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP, NLEOMF, NHTSA, and the Federal Highway Administration encourage police chiefs, sheriffs, or other agency heads to adopt policies requiring all on-duty officers to wear seat belts and respond to incidents at appropriate speeds and to hold officers accountable for adherence; and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that law enforcement agencies pledge to show to all their officers, and to discuss with them, during 2011 the IACP Highway Safety Committee roll-call video Is Today Your Day?