Death, Line of Duty

By definition a line of duty death (LODD) occurs whenever a public safety officer dies while performing work-related functions, whether on or off duty. The term public safety officer includes sworn law enforcement, firefighters, and officially recognized public employees of a rescue or ambulance crew. Each death is a tragedy for the victim's family, friends, and coworkers, and each death is a public loss mourned by the community. The significance of their respective roles in the community was perhaps best demonstrated on September 11, 2001, when 72 police officers and 345 firefighters summoned to the New York City World Trade Center died while attempting rescue. This entry overviews LODD, describes its impact on survivors, and discusses the healing process.

LODD Overview

The first known law enforcement death occurred in New York City in 1792. Since that time more than 18,000 police officers have died while in the performance of public service. On average, a law enforcement officer is killed every 53 hours. In memory their names are engraved on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. These public servants are honored each May during National Police Week with flags flown at half staff and a national memorial service on the lawn of the Capitol Building. Surviving family members and coworkers attend workshops during the week sponsored by Concerns of Police Survivors, a nonprofit survivor support organization founded in 1984.

An average of 105 U.S. firefighters die each year in the line of duty. They also are honored at an annual conference held in Emmitsburg, Maryland, home of the National Firefighters Monument. Plaques encircling the monument contain the names of over 3,000 men and women who have died while on duty since 1981. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation created by Congress in 1992 offers a Survivors Network that provides resources and support to the families of these firefighters.

Impact on Survivors

Family, friends, and coworkers are traumatized by the unexpected violence that accompanies a line of duty death, and most often there is no chance to say good-bye. How survivors are notified of the death has a long-term impact on their grief. Thus, each death notification should be conducted in person (not on the phone), with more than one notifier present, and the information should be delivered in plain language and offered with compassion. It is critical that agencies create specific notification procedures and maintain accurate, up-to-date records of the next of kin. Unfortunately many agencies do not have these in place when tragedy strikes, and this can lead to inappropriate notification being made and confusion about how to assist survivors.

The grief and trauma that a line of duty death brings requires survivors to adapt to a new life as they learn what helps and what hinders their healing. Survivors of felonious death can suffer secondary injury when attending lengthy court proceedings, and in the end they may feel justice is not done. The word closure is sometimes used inappropriately to indicate an end of grieving; in reality, when a court case is completed, families do not experience an end to their grief. They now must redirect their energy toward developing a new life without their loved one.

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