According to data collected from the Officer Down Memorial Page, 773 law enforcement officers were killed from 2009-2023 in collisions and struck-by incidents on the nation’s roadways. Simply put, more can be done to protect law enforcement officers on the roadways. The National Law Enforcement Roadway Safety Program (NLERSP) seeks to address this critical safety need by 1) training officers in tactics and behaviors that will improve their safety while operating on the roadways and 2) guiding agencies to implement policies, procedures, training, and equipment that can reduce officer-involved collisions and struck-by incidents.

The NLERSP provides a suite of no-cost, evidence-based training courses for executives, patrol officers, and trainers. These courses educate participants about the risk factors for officer-involved collisions and struck-by incidents and identify a variety of interventions and technological innovations that can reduce the likelihood of their occurrence. Additionally, the NLERSP provides customized technical assistance (TA) to help agencies make positive safety improvements. This assistance can include review and development of agency policies on roadway operations, review and assessment of an agency’s roadway safety training, assisting with the implementation of best practices, and/or providing research support to analyze an agency’s crash or injury data.

The NLERSP is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and managed by the National Policing Institute, in partnership with NPI for Intergovernmental Research.