The FBI has released preliminary data for law enforcement officers who were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2013. Of the 27 law enforcement officers killed in 2013, 26 were killed by firearms (one was killed by an offender using a car as a weapon). Nineteen officers were wearing body armor at the time of their deaths. That total shows a decrease of more than 44 percent when compared to the 49 officers killed in 2012. Most officers (15) who died as a result of criminal acts were in the South; only two in the Northeast.
But being killed by a felonious act isn’t the only way to die on the job. The Officer Down Memorial Page, a non-profit organization run by Police Officer Chris Cosgriff (a former technical consultant to the Department of Defense), reports that 105 American law enforcement officers were killed (by criminal acts and accidents) in the line of duty in 2013. The ODMP also reports a rise in line of duty deaths so far in 2014—56 as of today— up 17%. Average tour of duty for a cop: 12 years, 8 months. Average age: 41.
