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FBI
2014
Preliminary Statistics for Law Enforcement Officers Killed in the Line
of Duty
May 11, 2015
Preliminary statistics released today by the FBI show that 51 law
enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in
2014. This is an increase of almost 89 percent when compared to the 27
officers killed in 2013. (Note: From 1980–2014, an average of 64 law
enforcement officers have been feloniously killed per year. The 2013
total, 27, was the lowest during this 35-year period.) By region, 17
officers died as a result of criminal acts that occurred in the South,
14 officers in the West, eight officers in the Midwest, eight in the
Northeast, and four in Puerto Rico.
By circumstance, 11 officers died from injuries inflicted as a result
of answering disturbance calls (one of which was a domestic
disturbance). Ten officers were conducting traffic pursuits or stops,
eight were killed as a result of ambushes (six due to
entrapment/premeditated situations and two during unprovoked attacks),
and six officers were investigating suspicious persons or
circumstances. Five officers sustained fatal injuries while they were
performing investigative activities, four while they were engaged in
tactical situations, three officers were handling persons with mental
illness, and one officer was slain during a drug-related matter. Three
officers were killed while attempting other arrests.
Offenders used firearms in 46 of the 51 felonious deaths. These
included 32 incidents with handguns, 11 incidents with rifles, and
three incidents with shotguns. Four victim officers were killed with
vehicles used as weapons, and one was killed with the offender’s
personal weapons (hands, fists, feet, etc.).
Thirty-five of the slain officers were confirmed to be wearing body
armor at the times of the incidents. Five of the 51 officers killed
fired their own weapons, and six officers attempted to fire their
service weapons. Seven victim officers had their weapons stolen; one
officer was killed with his own weapon.
The 51 victim officers died from injuries sustained in 48 separate
incidents. All 48 of those incidents have been cleared by arrest or
exceptional means.
An additional 44 officers were accidentally killed in the line of duty
in 2014. This total represents five officers fewer than the 49 officers
who were accidentally killed in 2013. By region, 19 officers died due
to accidents in the South, 13 in the West, seven in the Northeast, four
in the Midwest, and one in Puerto Rico.
Twenty-eight of the officers died as a result of automobile accidents,
six were in motorcycle accidents, and five were struck by vehicles. Two
of the officers were killed from accidental shootings, one from
drowning, one from blunt force trauma, and one died as a result of
smoke inhalation.
Of the 28 officers who died due to automobile accidents, 15 officers
were wearing seatbelts. 10 officers were not wearing seatbelts (six of
whom were ejected from the vehicles), and seatbelt use was not reported
for three of the officers who were killed due to automobile accidents.
Final statistics and complete details will be available in the Uniform
Crime Reporting Program’s publication Law Enforcement Officers Killed
and Assaulted, 2014, which will be published on the FBI’s website in
the fall.
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