The cases -- selected from 625 closed cases submitted by local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies - - occurred between 1987 and 1994 and involved 52 law enforcement officers and 42 offenders. Although the sample was small and not scientifically random, the data obtained on officer victims, the offenders, and the incidents that brought them together in an assault can provide insight for administrators who are evaluating their department's policies, training, and procedures, as well as for individual officers who are assessing their own daily practices. The study shows that an arrest for an apparently minor infraction might result in a felonious assault against a police officer. Administrators must devise policies and provide the types of training and equipment that address the safety needs of their officers. They also must ensure that seemingly unrelated policies or procedures, such as the system of rewards for performance, do not undermine officer safety. Similarly, officers must use all of the resources available to them to ensure their own safety, as well as that of their partners, bystanders, and the subjects they encounter. Specific recommendations in this report pertain to use of force, traffic stops, and searches. An exhibit lists the behavioral characteristics of officers killed as well as the behavioral characteristics of officers assaulted. 8 notes