Although the number of assaults and attacks that local police encounter are relatively low, assaults against officers have increased since last year.

“It’s not an everyday occurrence where there is an assault against a police officer. It does happen on occasion,” said Ames Police Cmdr. Jim Robinson.

Robinson said that most often, officers are “not necessarily hurt because of a direct attack” but rather they could be injured when an arrestee is struggling to resist arrest.

Robinson said January to the end of November saw 14 assaults on Ames Police officers reported. This is up from eight reports in 2006 and five in 2005.

Iowa State Code defines assault as either an act that is intended to cause injury or pain, an act intended to cause fear of physical contact which would be injurious along with the ability to do so, or pointing a firearm toward another person.

The numbers of assaults on Ames Police however, are not necessarily a complete representation of every situation in which an officer is physically in danger.

“These are assaults reported against a police officer. There are many other times that the officers are involved in physical altercations while trying to effect an arrest that are not included in these numbers,” Robinson said.

ISU Police Cmdr. Gene Deisinger said it was not common for officers to encounter any violent attacks or assaults while on duty, either against the officers or other students.

“It’s not often in either case,” Deisinger said.

It is not a common occurrence, but violent situations do come about.

“Rare doesn’t mean it never happens,” Deisinger said. “Officers encounter people who fight or precipitate an assault on a police officer.”

Deisinger was not able to provide statistics as to how many assaults against officers were reported in the past year.

According to FBI crime statistics, 496 police officers were assaulted last year. Five of these incidents were done with a firearm and 19 of the officers were assaulted with a knife or other cutting instrument. Seventy-three officers were assaulted with another kind of weapon.

Compared to other Midwestern states, assaults on Iowa police officers were moderately low, compared to 569 reports in Kansas and 727 reports in Wisconsin. Missouri reported 2,159 assaults on police officers last year.

According to FBI crime statistics, 48 police officers were feloniously killed nationwide last year. None were from Iowa.