FBI Releases Data on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths from January through December 2022 Graphic
The 60 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in 2022 represent a 17.8 percent decrease compared to the 73 officers killed during 2021. Firearms were used in 81.7 percent of the felonious deaths in 2022, with 59.2 percent of the type of firearm used not currently reported. The leading circumstances surrounding officers’ deaths included activities related to ambushes on officers, investigative/enforcement activities, unprovoked attacks on officers, and responses to disorderly/disturbance calls. The 12 ambush attacks in 2022 are a 50 percent increase compared to the eight ambush attacks in 2021. Conversely, unprovoked attacks in 2022 (six) decreased 75 percent compared to 2021 (24). Accidental law enforcement deaths increased 3.6 percent in 2022 (58) compared to 2021 (56). The accidental deaths in 2022 were due primarily to motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian officers being struck by vehicles, and airplane crashes. The southern region had the most law enforcement deaths in 2022, with 65 deaths total (31 felonious, 34 accidental). Although not represented in the graphics below, 81 died in the line of duty in 2022 from the following medical conditions: 52 officers from illnesses related to COVID-19, 12 officers due to heart attacks, five officers from conditions as a result of responses to 9/11, and 12 officers due to other natural causes.
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FBI Releases Data on Law Enforcement Officer Deaths from January through December 2022 Graphic
The 60 law enforcement officers feloniously killed in 2022 represent a 17.8 percent decrease compared to the 73 officers killed during 2021. Firearms were used in 81.7 percent of the felonious deaths in 2022, with 59.2 percent of the type of firearm used not currently reported. The leading circumstances surrounding officers’ deaths included activities related to ambushes on officers, investigative/enforcement activities, unprovoked attacks on officers, and responses to disorderly/disturbance calls. The 12 ambush attacks in 2022 are a 50 percent increase compared to the eight ambush attacks in 2021. Conversely, unprovoked attacks in 2022 (six) decreased 75 percent compared to 2021 (24). Accidental law enforcement deaths increased 3.6 percent in 2022 (58) compared to 2021 (56). The accidental deaths in 2022 were due primarily to motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian officers being struck by vehicles, and airplane crashes. The southern region had the most law enforcement deaths in 2022, with 65 deaths total (31 felonious, 34 accidental). Although not represented in the graphics below, 81 died in the line of duty in 2022 from the following medical conditions: 52 officers from illnesses related to COVID-19, 12 officers due to heart attacks, five officers from conditions as a result of responses to 9/11, and 12 officers due to other natural causes.