PRESS RELEASE December 31 2009 The 2009 security officer deaths and injuries report compiled by the PRIVATE OFFICER International association was released today, Thursday December 31 2009 and it showed that security officer deaths are down slightly but injury to private security officers continue to rise. The association monitors all on the job injuries and deaths of employees who fell within the classification of security officer or has duties which pertain to the security industry. PRIVATE OFFICER International, a professional organization of private security and law enforcement personnel based in Atlanta Georgia looked at and collected statistical data on loss prevention agents, guards, public safety officers, bouncers, uniform security officers, patrol officers, private police officers, and others who performed security related duties but whose jobs classified them as positions other than security officers. During the 2009 calendar year, 45 security officers were confirmed to have died in the line of duty and the association estimated that the actual death totals were in the 60-70 range or higher. Discrepancies and poor data collection and classification by state and federal agencies continue to keep the true and accurate death totals in the dark said Executive Director Rick McCann. McCann said that throughout the year, the staff diligently works to research many databases and resources to verify as much of the collected data as possible but often death and injury reports of security officers are misclassified and do not make the news. Again in 2009, the two deadliest security positions were nightclub security and armored truck officers. Deaths Confirmed Included: 23 Shot 7 Motor Vehicle Accidents Nightclub Security Officers Killed-13 Armored Truck Security Officers Killed-3 Jan-3 July-8 Feb-1 Aug-2 Mar-3 Sept-4 April-1 Oct-3 May-4 Nov-3 June-11 Dec-2 According to data collected, security officers were involved in more than 1300 armed confrontations and more than 600 officers involved shooting incidents. Mr. McCann also stated that again this year, those security personnel employed in the position of a retail security agent or loss prevention officer experienced the majority of bodily harm from assaults and constant threat of physical attacks and frequent confrontations occurring. Many shoplifters are repeat offenders, professionals and convicted criminals who do not want to chance being sent to prison so they’d rather fight than to be caught McCann said. “Because of this and the economic crises and the frequent contact with someone who has committed a crime, loss prevention personnel will continue to see these types of increases in assaults and even serious injury to themselves.” While many professions face certain dangers and life threatening on the job situations, the private security industry’s risks are definitely growing in defined areas of the security industry almost unnoticed to many who study employee injuries or deaths according to McCann. Private security personnel are increasingly facing aggressive and violent attacks by both the armed and unarmed criminals as security officer duties are frequently crossing the lines between the standard observe and report and the more frequent proactive and responsiveness of security forces Mr. McCann said. |
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2009 LODD and INJURY REPORT
