July 9, 2025 • 8 mins
Bill Alexander speaks with Mendte in the Morning about the number of law enforcement fatalities in the first half of 2025 and what they are doing to get the numbers even lower.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, every year about this time, the mid year Law
Enforcement Officers Fatality Report comes out and it's always just
dismal news. It is heartbreaking news. It's produced by the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. But this year, this
year they put out a report and there was actually
(00:21):
some good news in it. So we want to get
right to Bill Alexander, who is CEO of the National
Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Bill, it's an honor to
talk to you, and God bless you for what you do.
And good morning to you, Larry.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Good morning to you, and thank you, you know, thank
you for being willing and able to help tell the story.
Too few in the media want to talk about law
law enforcementsters dying in the line of duty, and you
are one of those strong supporters. And so every man
and woman in a uniform, I promise you is appreciative
of you helping to tell the story.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Well, thank you for saying that. So let's get right
to the report. What's it say?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So we put out the report which shows the number
of line and duty death so across the first six
months of twenty twenty five, and the reality is it
is a dramatic reduction compared to the same time last year.
Last year, in this time, we had eighty nine men
and women in uniform dyeing the line of duty, and
this year we are reporting forty two such deaths. So
it's never great news to report on even a single
(01:19):
police stops are dying, but certainly this is a very
very welcome trend.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Are there factors that play into this? Is there a
reason for this?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
You know, I don't have a definitive reason, at least
not when I can back up with strong evidence, But
I have three high level thoughts that I think are
contributing here. One, we ourselves have an officer safety and
Wellness pillar where we try to impart use the data.
You and I are talking about the data that we
stretches back for us since the inception of our country,
So from two hundred and fifty years worth of this
(01:49):
data which does give us trends and patterns and show
us the circumstances which are leading to tragic and fatal outcomes,
and we try to use that data to come up
with programs and best practices to make it safer for
the men and women out on our streets. And we're
not alone in network. There are a constellation of law
enforcement organizations all across the country doing the same kind
of work. How can we make this job safer for
(02:10):
the men and women in uniform? And I hope to
some degree the numbers that we're talking about today are
reflective of that long and continuing body of work. I
also think the sort of tone in rhetoric, the language
around and the word I would use maybe demonization of
law enforcement members and the profession that they have dedicated
their lives to over the last say five years, has
(02:32):
really been unfair and targeted law enforcement in ways that
I think were completely unreasonable. And I think that tone
in rhetoric was shaping and influencing public behavior. I think
over the last six to eight months that tone in
rhetoric has changed. We are not a political organization, so
I don't want you to take this as political, but
I just don't think there's any question that I could
(02:53):
certainly make a compelling argument that there has been a
change over the last six eight months in terms of respectability,
in terms of law and order, in terms of preventing
crime and restoring order into communities. And I think to
some degree that is also influencing public behavior back in
the other direction, that it's to some of the small degree,
not universally, but some folks are now recognizing they need
(03:15):
to listen to law enforcement and comply with commands and
hopefully resulting in fewer uses of forced by police officers
and certainly fewer officer deaths.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
All that and the final note, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,
I keep jumping in. When you take a pause, I apologize,
keep going.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, my final thought is, you know, sort of in
the same vein for many years there was this sort
of ongoing conversation about defunding and marginalizing police agencies. I
don't really hear that kind of talk anymore. And I
think the fact that in part the tone and rhetoric
about law enforcement bolstering law enforcement and also cities, town
(03:50):
states moving away from the defund idea has re engaged
law enforcement across the country. And I think overall, violent
crime is down across most of the country. And the
reality is is that if police officers are responding to
fewer violent crimes, fewer domestic violence calls, fewer shootings, robberies, carjackings,
than they themselves are also in less danger. So some
combination of those three things I think are in the
(04:13):
soup of potential reasons as to why the numbers are
down so dramatically.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
And that's all great news, and I can understand each
one of those factors. That's incredible. I didn't even think
about it, but in the news we have been reporting
less police officers being attacked and not more, and I
didn't put it together until you put out your report. However,
now and it's a shame that you had to say.
I don't want to make this political. This shouldn't be
(04:36):
a political issue. Ever should be a political issue. I
agree the safety of police, but right now it is
a bit of a political issue because of ICE officers
being attacked and there was an ambush in Texas where
a police officer was shot and some ICE officers were
shot at and they said that ice officers there has
(04:57):
been an increase in attacks on ICE offers by six
hundred and seventy percent since last year. Would I would
think that you would agree without bringing politics into it,
and this should not be political, that an attack on
any police officer and the type of rhetoric that leads
(05:18):
to those attacks has to be diminished.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I could not agree more. I absolutely agree. I think
the last five years has been completely unfair to law enforcement,
and certainly what's going on with ICE officers who are
doing their best to enforce the law and comply, you know,
with their directives. It's just it's beyond the paal the
idea that you attack those individual officers.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Right and also like a police officer, Just like a
police officer, the ICE officers are doing their duty. They're
doing what they're trained to do, They're doing what they're
told to do. You made a great point when you
said that there should be no politics there. If you
want to blame somebody, blame the politicians. If you want
to blame somebody, blame the people that are at the
(06:03):
top or at charge of this. The officers are just
doing their job and they're the ones that take the
brunt of this.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yes, unfortunately they do, and they are trying to do
their job, and they're trying to do it honorably and
importantly safely, safely, not just for them, but safely for
members of the public that they're trying to interact with.
And you know, these skirmishes and purposeful attacks are really
making it dangerous not just for members of ICE, but
even members of the public.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Well, I hope that people heard you, and I hope
they can tamp down some of the rhetoric because you're right,
it is all political, and politics can hurt people and
end up with officers being attacked. Just real quickly. I
think it's really important to talk about your organization and
how people can contribute.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
We are the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. I
think we're most notably known for the memorial itself, which
is in the heart of Washington, DC and Judiciary Square.
It was created and even through to today, maintained to
honor every single law enforcement member who dies in the
line of duty. We add all of their names to
what we view as very sacred walls. Today there are
(07:05):
twenty four thousand, four hundred and twelve such names on
those sacred walls, and as you know, Larry, every single
year historically we add hundreds of names to those very
secular walls. So that has been the cornerstone of our
organization and continues to be. But we also have a
world class museum right across the street which tells the
story of American law enforcement. And again we have an
(07:25):
officer Safety and Wellness pillar where we try to create
programs to make it safer for everybody on both sides
of the law enforcement equation. So to any degree, if
any part of that mission resonates with your audience. We
have never received so much as a penny from the federal, state,
or local government. We are funded entirely by generous folks
across the country who feel some calling, some responsibility to
(07:46):
help us remember these heroes. And if that resonates with
your audience, I hope they would consider us in their
charitable giving.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
And where do they give money?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
They can go to NLOMS dot org. That's nl EOMF
dot org. Answard National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Thank you so much, Bill Alexander, CEO of the National
Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Again, God bless you for
what you do. Bill.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Thank you, Barry
Well, every year about this time, the mid year Law
Enforcement Officers Fatality Report comes out and it's always just
dismal news. It is heartbreaking news. It's produced by the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. But this year, this
year they put out a report and there was actually
(00:21):
some good news in it. So we want to get
right to Bill Alexander, who is CEO of the National
Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Bill, it's an honor to
talk to you, and God bless you for what you do.
And good morning to you, Larry.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
Good morning to you, and thank you, you know, thank
you for being willing and able to help tell the story.
Too few in the media want to talk about law
law enforcementsters dying in the line of duty, and you
are one of those strong supporters. And so every man
and woman in a uniform, I promise you is appreciative
of you helping to tell the story.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
Well, thank you for saying that. So let's get right
to the report. What's it say?
Speaker 2 (00:56):
So we put out the report which shows the number
of line and duty death so across the first six
months of twenty twenty five, and the reality is it
is a dramatic reduction compared to the same time last year.
Last year, in this time, we had eighty nine men
and women in uniform dyeing the line of duty, and
this year we are reporting forty two such deaths. So
it's never great news to report on even a single
(01:19):
police stops are dying, but certainly this is a very
very welcome trend.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Are there factors that play into this? Is there a
reason for this?
Speaker 2 (01:28):
You know, I don't have a definitive reason, at least
not when I can back up with strong evidence, But
I have three high level thoughts that I think are
contributing here. One, we ourselves have an officer safety and
Wellness pillar where we try to impart use the data.
You and I are talking about the data that we
stretches back for us since the inception of our country,
So from two hundred and fifty years worth of this
(01:49):
data which does give us trends and patterns and show
us the circumstances which are leading to tragic and fatal outcomes,
and we try to use that data to come up
with programs and best practices to make it safer for
the men and women out on our streets. And we're
not alone in network. There are a constellation of law
enforcement organizations all across the country doing the same kind
of work. How can we make this job safer for
(02:10):
the men and women in uniform? And I hope to
some degree the numbers that we're talking about today are
reflective of that long and continuing body of work. I
also think the sort of tone in rhetoric, the language
around and the word I would use maybe demonization of
law enforcement members and the profession that they have dedicated
their lives to over the last say five years, has
(02:32):
really been unfair and targeted law enforcement in ways that
I think were completely unreasonable. And I think that tone
in rhetoric was shaping and influencing public behavior. I think
over the last six to eight months that tone in
rhetoric has changed. We are not a political organization, so
I don't want you to take this as political, but
I just don't think there's any question that I could
(02:53):
certainly make a compelling argument that there has been a
change over the last six eight months in terms of respectability,
in terms of law and order, in terms of preventing
crime and restoring order into communities. And I think to
some degree that is also influencing public behavior back in
the other direction, that it's to some of the small degree,
not universally, but some folks are now recognizing they need
(03:15):
to listen to law enforcement and comply with commands and
hopefully resulting in fewer uses of forced by police officers
and certainly fewer officer deaths.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
All that and the final note, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,
I keep jumping in. When you take a pause, I apologize,
keep going.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Well, my final thought is, you know, sort of in
the same vein for many years there was this sort
of ongoing conversation about defunding and marginalizing police agencies. I
don't really hear that kind of talk anymore. And I
think the fact that in part the tone and rhetoric
about law enforcement bolstering law enforcement and also cities, town
(03:50):
states moving away from the defund idea has re engaged
law enforcement across the country. And I think overall, violent
crime is down across most of the country. And the
reality is is that if police officers are responding to
fewer violent crimes, fewer domestic violence calls, fewer shootings, robberies, carjackings,
than they themselves are also in less danger. So some
combination of those three things I think are in the
(04:13):
soup of potential reasons as to why the numbers are
down so dramatically.
Speaker 1 (04:16):
And that's all great news, and I can understand each
one of those factors. That's incredible. I didn't even think
about it, but in the news we have been reporting
less police officers being attacked and not more, and I
didn't put it together until you put out your report. However,
now and it's a shame that you had to say.
I don't want to make this political. This shouldn't be
(04:36):
a political issue. Ever should be a political issue. I
agree the safety of police, but right now it is
a bit of a political issue because of ICE officers
being attacked and there was an ambush in Texas where
a police officer was shot and some ICE officers were
shot at and they said that ice officers there has
(04:57):
been an increase in attacks on ICE offers by six
hundred and seventy percent since last year. Would I would
think that you would agree without bringing politics into it,
and this should not be political, that an attack on
any police officer and the type of rhetoric that leads
(05:18):
to those attacks has to be diminished.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
I could not agree more. I absolutely agree. I think
the last five years has been completely unfair to law enforcement,
and certainly what's going on with ICE officers who are
doing their best to enforce the law and comply, you know,
with their directives. It's just it's beyond the paal the
idea that you attack those individual officers.
Speaker 1 (05:40):
Right and also like a police officer, Just like a
police officer, the ICE officers are doing their duty. They're
doing what they're trained to do, They're doing what they're
told to do. You made a great point when you
said that there should be no politics there. If you
want to blame somebody, blame the politicians. If you want
to blame somebody, blame the people that are at the
(06:03):
top or at charge of this. The officers are just
doing their job and they're the ones that take the
brunt of this.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yes, unfortunately they do, and they are trying to do
their job, and they're trying to do it honorably and
importantly safely, safely, not just for them, but safely for
members of the public that they're trying to interact with.
And you know, these skirmishes and purposeful attacks are really
making it dangerous not just for members of ICE, but
even members of the public.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Well, I hope that people heard you, and I hope
they can tamp down some of the rhetoric because you're right,
it is all political, and politics can hurt people and
end up with officers being attacked. Just real quickly. I
think it's really important to talk about your organization and
how people can contribute.
Speaker 2 (06:45):
We are the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. I
think we're most notably known for the memorial itself, which
is in the heart of Washington, DC and Judiciary Square.
It was created and even through to today, maintained to
honor every single law enforcement member who dies in the
line of duty. We add all of their names to
what we view as very sacred walls. Today there are
(07:05):
twenty four thousand, four hundred and twelve such names on
those sacred walls, and as you know, Larry, every single
year historically we add hundreds of names to those very
secular walls. So that has been the cornerstone of our
organization and continues to be. But we also have a
world class museum right across the street which tells the
story of American law enforcement. And again we have an
(07:25):
officer Safety and Wellness pillar where we try to create
programs to make it safer for everybody on both sides
of the law enforcement equation. So to any degree, if
any part of that mission resonates with your audience. We
have never received so much as a penny from the federal, state,
or local government. We are funded entirely by generous folks
across the country who feel some calling, some responsibility to
(07:46):
help us remember these heroes. And if that resonates with
your audience, I hope they would consider us in their
charitable giving.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
And where do they give money?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
They can go to NLOMS dot org. That's nl EOMF
dot org. Answard National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
Thank you so much, Bill Alexander, CEO of the National
Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Again, God bless you for
what you do. Bill.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Thank you, Barry
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