Let’s Finish Strong — and Bring Every Officer Home

A reminder for everyone wearing the badge — and those holding them accountable.

As of November 8, 2025, 82 law enforcement officers have lost their lives in the line of duty this year.
That’s 82 families forever changed.

The organization Below 100 has one simple goal: to see annual line-of-duty deaths in America fall below 100.
The last time that happened was 1943.

The High-Risk Season

As the year winds down and the pace picks up, we enter what every cop knows as the high-risk season.

The holidays bring more alcohol, more traffic, more fatigue, more emotion, and more calls that can turn sideways without warning.

This isn’t about fear - it's about professionalism.

This is when we need to tighten up, not out of fear, but out of discipline.

• Slow down. Most calls we run “lights and sirens” to aren’t truly life or death. The extra 30 seconds rarely change the outcome, but arriving safely always does.

• Buckle up. Every. Single. Time. Too many officers have died in preventable crashes because they thought they were “just going down the street.”

• Wear the vest. Every shift. Every call. No excuses.

• Don’t let familiarity fool you. Many officers are assaulted and killed at locations they’ve been to before. The “routine” call, the “regular” resident, the “we've-been-here-before” mindset kills more cops than chaos ever has.

• Take the extra second. Slow your approach. Scan. Communicate. Wait for backup when it makes sense. There’s no prize for rushing in blind.

• Watch your partner’s six — and your own headspace. Fatigue, distraction, and burnout are silent threats. Address them early.

A Message to Supervisors and Sergeants

Supervision is not a spectator sport.

If you’re a sergeant, your people need you out there, not behind a desk or buried in paperwork.

Get in the field. Listen to the radio. Show up on the calls.
They don’t need you to manage from a distance; they need you to lead from the front.

You make more money because you’re expected to do more, not less.
Leadership isn’t about control; it’s about coverage. Be the one who catches what they don’t see coming.

As I’ve said before, the fundamentals still matter.
Presence. Awareness. Communication. Backup.
The basics don’t fail us; we fail the basics.

A Message to Chiefs and Sheriffs

The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.

Leaders set the tone.
Now is the time for a culture check.

What are you tolerating?
Complacency? Shortcuts? Neglect of fundamentals?

If you don’t address it, you’re endorsing it.
Culture doesn’t change through memos; it changes through modeling.

Get visible. Reinforce expectations. Recognize the right behaviors, and correct the wrong ones.

The Bottom Line

Most of the risks we face are within our control if we lead with discipline, vigilance, and accountability.
They don’t require perfection. Just commitment.

Let’s finish strong.
Let’s make discipline the standard, not the exception.
And let’s make sure everyone goes home.

Stay sharp. Stay professional. Stay alive. 💙