Sixty-four officers were shot and killed in the line of duty in 2022, according to a preliminary annual report released Wednesday from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
\nThat’s far below the number of firearms-related officer deaths 50\u00a0years ago. But\u00a0the figure \u2013 the same as in 2021 \u2013 represents an increase over the average number of officer\u00a0deaths\u00a0in more recent history, according to the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, which warned of a “disturbing trend.”
\nMarcia Ferranto, CEO of the\u00a0organization, said the data should prompt\u00a0officer safety and wellness programs around the country to investigate why\u00a0officers are dying by firearms at a greater rate today than they were 10\u00a0years ago.
\nWhat to know about police officers’ deaths
\n\uf0b7From 2010 through the end of 2020, an average of 53 officers were killed each year in firearms-related incidents, the report said.\u00a0The 64 deaths by gunfire in 2022 represents an increase of 21% over the average a decade ago.
\n\uf0b7Overall, 226 federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement officers died in the line of duty last year. That’s a 61% decline from 2021\u00a0“almost entirely” a result of\u00a0fewer COVID-19 deaths, the report said.
\n\uf0b7COVID-19 killed\u00a070 officers\u00a0and remained the leading cause of officer deaths in the line of duty, followed by firearms-related fatalities.
\n\uf0b7Another 56 officers died in traffic-related incidents: They were either in collisions or struck while outside their cars, according to the report.
\nLaw enforcement officers ambushed, shot by fellow officers
\nOf the dozens of officers fatally shot last year, 11 were ambushed, 10 were attempting to make an arrest, nine\u00a0were handling domestic disputes, eight\u00a0were investigating “suspicious circumstances or people,” six\u00a0were killed making traffic stops, and five\u00a0were killed handling disturbance calls, according to the report.
\nFour were “inadvertently or mistakenly”\u00a0shot by fellow officers, three were shot while serving civil papers and responding to robbery calls, two were shot while serving a felony warrant, and one\u00a0was shot “handling an inmate,” the report said. The two remaining deaths\u00a0were “not clearly defined.”
\nCalifornia saw five firearms-related officer deaths \u2013 the most of any state \u2013 followed by four each in Kentucky,\u00a0Mississippi, Missouri and Texas, the report said.
\nWhat’s contributing to the increased officer firearms deaths?
\nIt’s not yet clear what’s contributing to the increased number of officer firearms deaths, according to Ferranto. She said her organization plans to compile more information to identify causes and possible solutions.
\nReport comes amid rising\u00a0gun violence in the US
\nFirearms\u00a0became the leading cause of death\u00a0among children and teens\u00a0in the United States\u00a0in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<\/p>\n