RURAL AREAS DEADLIER FOR POLICE THAN CITIES

While the mean streets of big cities may be dangerous for civilians, it's
the rural areas that appear the most deadly for police officers, according
to FBI statistics.

In a study of American police officers killed in the line of duty between
1988 and 1995, the fatality rate for rural officers was 12 per 100,000
officers. According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Report, the comparable death
rate for officers in cities with populations of 250,000 or more was 6.5 per
100,000.

"These numbers not only refute conventional wisdom and perception but are
particularly striking when the overall crime rate in general is much lower
in rural areas than in cities," said Ralph A. Weisheit, a professor of
criminal justice at Illinois State University.

The shock of an officer's slaying is that much more difficult for rural
residents to grasp in part because many moved away from cities to escape
such big-city type crime.

Weisheit, who has co-written a book called "Crime and Policing in Rural and
Small-Town America," suggested that officers in smaller police departments
may be lulled into a casual attitude when investigating calls because of
the familiar routine and feeling at home in their patrol areas.