WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Federal Bureau of Investigations released its annual report on law enforcement officers killed and assaulted in the line of duty Monday.
According to statistics in the Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) report, 118 law enforcement officers were killed in line-of-duty incidents in 2022. The average age of the officers who were killed was 39 years old. The officers had served in law enforcement for an average of seven years at the time of the fatal incidents, the report said.
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Of those, 60 officers died as a result of felonious acts. That’s a 17.8% decrease, compared to the 73 officers who were killed as a result of criminal acts in 2021. Fifty-eight officers died in accidents, which is an increase of two officers, in comparison to the 56 who were accidentally killed in 2021, stats suggest.
Five-and 10-year comparisons show an increase of three felonious deaths when compared with 2018 (57 officers) and an increase of 33 deaths when compared with 2013 data (27 officers), the FBI said.
Of the officers that were killed, the report said:
- Six of them were killed in unprovoked attacks.
- 12 of them died as a result of investigative/enforcement activities.
- 12 of them were ambushed (entrapment/premeditation).
- Four of them encountered/assisted an emotionally disturbed person.
- Four of them were involved in pursuits.
- Six of them responded to disorders/disturbances.
- Six of them were involved in tactical situations.
- One was involved in an arrest situation.
- Three of them responded to crimes in progress.
- Three of them were assisting other law enforcement officers.
- Two of them serving or attempting to serve a court order (that includes an eviction notice, subpoenas, etc.).
- One officer was deploying equipment (flares, traffic cones, etc.).
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Firearms were reportedly used to kill 49 of the 60 officers. Three officers were killed with vehicles used as weapons and eight officers were killed by the offender’s use of personal weapons (hand, fists, feet, etc.), the FBI said.
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The report said that officers were accidentally killed in the following circumstances:
- 35 died as a result of motor vehicle crashes.
- 13 were pedestrian officers struck by vehicles.
- Six officers were in an aircraft crash.
- Two officers were killed in a fall.
- Two died as a result of a firearm-related incident.