Police, law enforcement line of duty deaths in 2021 jumped 55% from year before

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Police officer fatalities jump 55% in 2021

National Law Enforcement Officers Fund CEO Marcia Ferranto on the spike in officer deaths and how this represents a lack of safety and support for law enforcement in many U.S. cities

The number of police and law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty jumped 55% from 2021 to 2020 – with the majority succumbing to COVID-19-related illness, statistics released Tuesday show. 

There were 458 law enforcement deaths last year as of Dec. 31, 2021, the National Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) announced. The startling figure – up from 295 in 2020 – represents law enforcement officers at the federal, state, county and municipal levels, as well as those in the tribal, campus, military and territorial sectors.

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Police officers investigate a crime scene near the border between the Morgan Park and West Pullman neighborhoods on July 7, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. Two ATF agents and one Chicago Police officer were shot as they worked undercover. (Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images)  ((Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images))

Marcia Ferranto, National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO, said 2021 "will go down as the year of the most line-of-duty fatalities since 1930 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and increases in traffic fatalities and firearms ambushes."

"This time of year always reminds us of the sacrifice of law enforcement and the importance of our mission to honor the fallen, tell the story of American law enforcement, and make it safer for those who serve," Ferranto said. 

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Of the 458 officers who died in the line of duty last year, 301 suffered COVID-19-related deaths, up 65% from 2020. 

The NLEOMF describes these fatalities as being those in which "officers have died due to direct exposure to the virus during the commission of their official duties."

Meanwhile, 62 officers were fatally wounded – a 38% increase from 2020. Nineteen of the 62 officers who were fatally shot in the line of duty were ambushed, the report finds. 

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And 58 officers were killed in "traffic-related incidents," also up 38% year over year. But the number of officers who died after they were struck by a car skyrocketed by 93%.

The remaining 37 officers who died in the line of duty suffered other types of fatalities. According to the group, 25 suffered "physical related" deaths, four were fatally beaten, four drowned, two were fatally stabbed, one suffered a "floodwater death" and another died in a tornado.