Eliminating Accidents Must be a Top Priority

Wow! What an exciting time it is as technology is helping to keep law enforcement officers and members of the public safer! The whole world seems to be talking about autonomous driving these days, and company after company is jumping into the effort to have self-driving vehicles to one degree or another. Even if you ignore the completely self-driving configurations, just think of how far automobile technology has advanced in the last decade – many new cars have features such as self-braking regardless of who, if anyone, is driving the vehicle. At the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund, we are…

Weapon Retention – Are You Prepared?

Every year skilled law enforcement officers are disarmed and murdered with their own firearm.
  • FBI statistics tell us that since 2000, at least 57 suspects have taken officers’ weapons and murdered with their own firearm.
  • Studies have shown that two thirds of offenders facing arrest were looking for an opportunity to assault or kill the officer detaining them.
  • No singular profile exists of an individual who feloniously assaults or kills law enforcement officers.
Solution to the Problem:
  1. Attitude and Mental Preparedness:
  • Be aware of your personal space 360 degrees.
  • Never let your guard down.
  • If anyone is going to be

Mental and Emotional Wellbeing of Officers

According to a study of police suicides from 2008 through 2012, the number of officers who took their own lives was twice the number of officers killed by felons. During each of these four years over 125 law enforcement officers died at their own hand. Statistics on this topic since that time have not been accurately maintained. Officers have survived attacks and violent encounters because they kept a clear mind and used it to its most creative potential. The typical officer has only seconds to react – but it is in these few seconds that lack of clarity can be…

2015 RISK MANAGEMENT AND LOSS CONTROL AWARDS

The Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund would like to congratulate the winners of its 2015 Risk Management and Loss Control Awards. These award categories are meant to highlight those Sheriffs’ Offices that are partnering with FSRMF to not only save money, but to save lives. Award consideration is partially determined by the losses of a Sheriff’s Office over the more recent three-year period, as compared with other FSRMF members, giving due consideration to the size and geographical location of the agency.

EXCELLENCE IN RISK MANAGEMENT AND LOSS CONTROL AWARD

FSRMF gives this award to three Sheriffs’ Offices that have demonstrated…

OUTSTANDING RISK MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Assistant Director Georgene Rye of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office has been named the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund’s 2015 Outstanding Risk Manager of the Year. This award is considered one of the highest levels of recognition offered by FSRMF and is one of only two awards presented to an individual. Rye was presented with the award at the 2015 FSA Summer Conference. Rye came to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in 1999, after serving in various Human Resources Division roles for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Orange County government and Broward County government. She holds a master’s degree in…

OUTSTANDING FLEET MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Fleet/Radio Manager Steven King of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has been named the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund’s 2015 Outstanding Fleet Manager of the Year. This award is considered one of the highest levels of recognition offered by FSRMF and is one of only two awards presented to an individual. King was presented with the award at the 2015 FSA Summer Conference. Florida Deputy Sheriffs are more likely to be involved in a crash and drive over 300 million miles per year. Fleet accidents are a leading cause of death and serious injury to law enforcement and members of…

The Importance of Wearing Your Vest

Statistics show that wearing body armor reduces the chance of bodily injury or death caused by any physical injury including a car accident. The best vest you will ever wear is the one you’re wearing if you are shot. 36% of officers killed in fatal shootings between 2003-2012 could have survived but were not wearing their vest.
  • Officers that do not routinely wear body armor are 3.4 times more likely to suffer fatal injuries from a torso shot than officers who routinely wear their body armor.
  • Wearing body armor can mean the difference between life and death.
  • You never know

K-9 Safety Tips

Just as we lose too many officers in completely avoidable single-vehicle crashes, the sad truth is that police dogs die in hot cars all too frequently. The Officer Down Memorial page reports at least 64 police K-9s have died on U.S. soil from heat exhaustion between January 2011 and August 2015. According to the Connecticut Police Work Dog Association, another 12 police K-9s have died from heat exhaustion between January and July of 2016. In South Carolina, K-9 Emma died from heat exhaustion after she was left inside her handler’s vehicle for about 90 minutes — although the car was…

Shift Work and Safety Training

I’ll have to admit, it has been more than a few years since I worked shift work, but I can still clearly remember the good and the bad that came with it. When I was a young single guy, I enjoyed the evening shift when I could get off at 10 p.m., close the town up and sleep late the next morning. The night shift came in handy, especially after I got married. My first child was colicky, and my wife would be up all night and was ready when I came in at 6 a.m. for some relief. It…

Lead Exposure Risks & Shooting Ranges

Ingesting lead is a serious thing and can cause numerous problems for people with constant exposure. As you’re likely aware, you come into contact with lead during every trip to the range. You even come into contact with it each time you handle your firearm, especially if it hasn’t yet been cleaned after a visit to the range. The same goes for handling ammunition, and so on. Lead is present in most types of ammunition, including the primer and bullet. Each time you fire a round, lead is vaporized into the air and can be inhaled or ingested through the…