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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Fewer law enforcement officers died on the job in 2009

Lakewood police  officers listen during a Nov. 30 news conference about the shooting of four of their colleagues in nearby Parkland,  Wash.  (File Associated Press)
Lakewood police officers listen during a Nov. 30 news conference about the shooting of four of their colleagues in nearby Parkland, Wash. (File Associated Press)

Lakewood police  officers listen during a Nov. 30 news conference about the shooting of four of their colleagues in nearby Parkland,  Wash.

WASHINGTON – Law enforcement deaths this year dropped to their lowest level since 1959, while the decade of the 2000s was among the safest for officers — despite the deadliest single day for police on Sept. 11, 2001.

The drop in deaths, cited in a police group's report Monday, was tempered by an increase in firearm deaths. In one horrific November shooting, four officers were executed as they discussed their upcoming shift in a Lakewood, Wash., coffee shop. More.

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Huckleberries Online

D.F. Oliveria started Huckleberries Online on Feb. 16, 2004. Oliveria's Sunday print Huckleberries is a past winner of the national Herb Caen Memorial Column contest.