Recently, the 2014 annual report on officer fatalities was released. As usual, the stats are alarming and reveal just how dangerous this occupation is. the report provides a detailed summary of accidental and non-accidental deaths of police officers. We’re highlighting some of the geographic trends and address this topic as a result of heightened tensions between the public and police officers across the country
Mapping the Death of Police Officers in America
A closer look at some of the findings in the report, including geographic trends:
- In total, there were 126 officers lost in the line of duty in 2014, a 24% increase over 2013. As expected, firearm related deaths accounted for 50 deaths, a 56% increase, most of these the result of hand guns and ambush killings.
- California led the nation in officer fatalities, losing 14 officers in 2014. Thirty-six percent of the 2014 officer deaths were in these five states. The leading cause of fatalities among these states was gunfire, killing 19 off cers. Seventeen officers were killed in traffic-related incidents and nine officers in these five states died as a result of other causes. Fifty- eight percent of officers killed in these five states were killed feloniously.
- A look at the demographics of officer fatality data revealed the following:
- Over 98% were male officers
- Average age 41
- Average length of service 12 years
- Fatalities are most common on Friday (23 deaths)
- Municpal officers had the highest death rate (52) followed by County police
- May and March are the months with most deaths (18 and 15)
Key Data as of December 29, 2014:
- Firearms-related incidents were the number one cause of officer deaths in 2014, with 50. This was a 56 percent increase over the 32 officers shot and killed in 2013.
- Ambush attacks resulted in 15 officer deaths, the leading felonious cause of deaths among officers in 2014 and for the fifth straight year. The other leading categories of felonious deaths in 2014 were traffic stops or pursuits (8), investigating suspicious persons or activities (7), disturbance calls (6), attempting arrests (4), investigative activities (3), accidental shootings (2), burglary in progress (2), investigating drug-related matters (1), robbery in progress (1), and tactical situations (1).
- Traffic-related incidents were the second-leading cause of officer fatalities in 2014, with 49. This was an 11 percent increase over the 44 traffic-related deaths in 2013. Of these 49 officers, 35 were killed in automobile crashes, nine officers were struck and killed outside their vehicle and five officers were killed in motorcycle crashes.
- Of the 27 officers who died due to other causes this year, 24 were caused by job-related illnesses; one officer was strangled to death; one officer drowned; and one officer was killed in a fire-related incident.
- During the past year, more officers were killed in California (14) than any other state; followed by Texas (11); New York (9); Florida (6) and Georgia (5).
- Six officers killed in 2014 served with federal law enforcement agencies. Two of the officers who died during the past year served with correctional agencies, two were tribal officers and one was a military officer. Three of the 126 fatalities were female. On average, the officers who died in 2014 were 41 years old and had served for 12 years.
Fatalities by State
California led the nation in officer fatalities
California led the nation in officer fatalities, losing 14 officers in 2014. Texas lost 11 officers, New York lost nine officers, Florida lost six officers and Georgia lost five officers.
From the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
In 2011, officer fatalities spiked to 171, which led to a number of new initiatives and policy changes aimed at promoting law enforcement safety. The result was a sharp decline in line-of-duty deaths to 123 in 2012 and 102 last year—the lowest fatality figure since 1944. Over the past decade the average annual number of officer deaths has been 151. The deadliest year ever for law enforcement was 1930 when 300 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of duty. The deadliest single incident was the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, resulting in 72 officer deaths. There are more than 20,000 names of officers killed in the line of duty inscribed on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, dating back to the first known death in 1791.
See the full 2014 Officer Fatalities Report (PDF)
For a complete copy of the preliminary report on 2014 law enforcement fatalities, go to: www.LawMemorial.org/FatalitiesReport.
