Every single day, we are constantly reminded via politicians, television, and the mainstream media in general of just how brave those “boys in blue” are to work in such “dangerous” conditions. The thin blue line, we’re told, is akin to storming the beaches at Normandy.

But do these claims of mass danger and death hold water? Is it really necessary to dump 12 rounds into an unarmed autistic 13-year-old, so you can “make it home to your wife and kids”?

Over the last two decades police departments across the country have been steadily increasing their firepower, while their jobs have actually gotten LESS dangerous.

A report put out at the beginning of the year by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, highlights that lack of danger by showing a decrease in police officer deaths this year and a downward trend year over year.

Other jobs, however, appear to be getting more dangerous. The latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), recorded a preliminary total of 5,250 fatal work injuries in the US in 2018 which is a jump from 4,821 in 2014. The BLS compiled that data to make a chart of the top 25 most dangerous jobs. Guess who’s not in the top twenty.

20. Heavy vehicle mechanics

BLS Category: Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians and mechanics
Fatal injury rate: 14 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 27

19. Supervisors of mechanics

BLS Category: First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
Fatal injury rate: 15 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 46
Salary: $70,550
Most common fatal accidents: Violence and other injuries by persons or animals

18. Small engine mechanics

Fatal injury rate: 15 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 8
Salary: $37,840
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents, violence and other injuries by persons or animals

17. Cement masons

BLS Category: Cement masons, concrete finishers, and terrazzo workers
Fatal injury rate: 17 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 11
Salary: $48,330
Most common fatal accidents: Falls, slips, trips

16. Highway maintenance workers

Fatal injury rate: 18 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 14
Salary: $42,410
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

15. Landscaping supervisors

BLS Category: First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
Fatal injury rate: 18 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 48
Salary: $52,340
Most common fatal accidents: Falls, slips, trips

14. Construction helpers

BLS Category: Helpers, construction trades
Fatal injury rate: 18 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 11
Salary: $31,830
Most common fatal accidents: Falls, slips, trips

13. Crane operators

BLS Category: Crane and tower operators
Fatal injury rate: 19 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 9
Salary: $60,530
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents, Contact with objects and equipment

12. Crossing guards

Fatal injury rate: 19 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 14
Salary: $29,760
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

11. Agricultural workers

BLS Category: Miscellaneous agricultural workers
Fatal injury rate: 20 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 157
Salary: $25,840
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

10. Power linemen

BLS Category: Electrical power-line installers and repairers
Fatal injury rate: 20 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 29
Salary: $71,960
Most common fatal accidents: Exposure to harmful substances or environments

9. Firefighting supervisors

BLS Category: First-line supervisors of fire fighting and prevention workers
Fatal injury rate: 20 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 14
Salary: $82,010
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

8. Farmers

BLS Category: Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
Fatal injury rate: 26 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 257
Salary: $71,160
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

7. Delivery drivers

BLS Category: Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
Fatal injury rate: 27 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 966
Salary: $29,610
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

6. Ironworkers

BLS Category: Structural iron and steel workers
Fatal injury rate: 29 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 15
Salary: $53,650
Most common fatal accidents: Falls, slips, trips

5. Garbage collectors

BLS Category: Refuse and recyclable material collectors
Fatal injury rate: 34 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 37
Salary: $42,100
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

4. Roofers

Fatal injury rate: 41 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 96
Salary: $42,100
Most common fatal accidents: Falls, slips, trips

3. Derrick operators in oil, gas, and mining

BLS Category: Derrick, rotary drill, and service unit operators, oil, gas, and mining
Fatal injury rate: 46 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 20
Salary: $51,390
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents, contact with objects and equipment

2. Aircraft pilots and flight engineers

Fatal injury rate: 53 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 70
Salary: $121,430
Most common fatal accidents: Transportation incidents

1. Logging workers

Fatal injury rate: 111 per 100,000 workers
Total deaths (2018): 56
Salary: $41,230
Most common fatal accidents: Contact with objects and equipment

Fatal work injuries among law enforcement were actually down 14 percent compared to last year and according to the most recent rankings, Police Officers come in at the 22nd most dangerous jobs.

It’s certainly not because there is some war going on against police or that their jobs are even that dangerous. In fact, police are quite safe as they bust through tens of thousands of doors annually enforcing the state’s immoral quest to control what you can and can’t put into your own body, otherwise known as the war on drugs. Most police officer fatalities stem from car wrecks or involve an officer getting run over while pulling people over on the highway.

According to a recent FBI report, Americans are less violent now as arrest for cannabis alone far supersede all arrests for all violent crimes combined.

This heavily militarized police state is unfortunately, the natural tendency of empire. No matter how peaceful the citizens resist the empire’s inevitable tyranny, the state will always resort to militarization and violence. Violence is self-preservation of the state; it is the only means the empire possesses to extend its reign.

To quote -Mahatma Gandhi- “The State represents violence in a concentrated and organized form. The individual has a soul, but as the State is a soulless machine, it can never be weaned from violence to which it owes its very existence.”

How much larger will this oppressive, expansive, and violent police state become?

That answer is entirely up to you and I. Only through a lesser ignorance and awareness will we be able to prevent this leviathan from making Orwell’s 1984, a reality. If you want to know what we can do right now to turn this around, check out some easy yet powerful solutions.

About Matt Agorist:

Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds.