Special Report: When traffic stops turn fatal

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, there were 135 law enforcement officer fatalities nationwide in 2016. 64 of those officers were shot and killed and three of those officers were conducting ‘routine’ traffic stops.

In 2015, there were 124 officer fatalities: 42 killed by gunfire, and traffic stops resulted in seven of those shooting deaths.

What can seem like a ‘routine’ traffic stop can easily turn fatal in moments.

Officials say that the Yuma Police Department has been fortunate –h aving never experienced a traffic-stop fatality. Two YPD officers have been killed in the line of duty. The most recent was on July 4, 1995.