Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: JANUARY 2017 9 A ccording to a recent reports, nine police officers have died in the line of duty so far this year in California. The number is not a departure from historical norms in the Golden State. California loses 10 officers per year on average, accord- ing to FBI figures. But the high volume of killings in such a short time has officers and deputies everywhere on edge. In addition to killings, as- saults on cops are also up. Oddly, as assaults against police dropped nationwide over the past decade by 14 percent, they spiked by 43 percent in California, ac- cording to FBI numbers. The increase is alarming. There were 6,970 assaults on police officers in California in 2006. By 2015, there were 9,967 assaults on police of- ficers in the state. “There’s something inter- esting going on there,” said Brandon Martin, a research associate at the Public Policy Institute of California. But no one knows exactly what it is and everyone seems to have a pet theory. But one of the more interesting ones is that increased awareness of assaults, on the part of cops and the public alike, could be impacting the data. “Both sides are hyper- sensitive about police-com- munity interactions,” said Gregory C. Brown, associate professor of criminal justice at Cal State Fullerton. “And that sensitivity could mean that altercations now consid- ered assaults may not have been reported as assaults before.” But the rise in assaults against cops in California is peculiar to that state. Federal officials say that in 2015, there were 50,212 as- saults against police officers outside California, a huge drop from a decade earlier, according to FBI statistics. But trends, data and num- bers aren’t likely to make law enforcement officers feel any safer. There’s a new shooting simulator designed to help cops make better decisions. It could be on the market soon. See story on page 31. Assaults on cops up in Cali Data but no answers Memorial Fund www.ShopLawMemorial.org 1-866-569-4928 2017 Commemorative Inaugural Boxed Set 2017 Commemorative Inaugural Lapel Pin 2017 Commemorative Inaugural Coin 2017 Commemorative Inaugural Badge ProceedsfromyourpurchasessupporttheMemorialFund’smissiontotellthe storyofAmericanlawEnforcementandmakeitsaferforthosewhoserve. Inaugural Store