COVID-19's Impact on Line of Duty Deaths

The 2020 Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund in January shows a sharp increase in line-of-duty deaths, mainly due to the addition of on-duty COVID-19-related deaths, which alone exceeded the total number of LODDs recorded by the organization the previous year.

According to preliminary data compiled by the NLEOMF as of Dec. 31, 2020, 264 federal, state, military, tribal and local law enforcement officers died in the line-of-duty in 2020—an increase of 96% from the 135 officers killed during the same period in 2019. While causes of line-of-duty deaths included firearms-related incidents, vehicle crashes, medical events and physical attacks, COVID-19 related fatalities were the single-highest cause of officer line-of-duty deaths in 2020 with 145 confirmed cases. The organization noted in its report that it has already identified a significant number of additional COVID-19-related fatalities for 2020, and once those cases are confirmed, the total number of LODDs will go up. With the COVID-19 cases included, this marks the highest number of law enforcement line-of-duty deaths in a single year since 1974.

When the COVID-19-related cases are excluded from this year’s numbers, there were 119 LODDs from all other causes, which is a 7% decrease from the 2019 total. In the report, COVID-19-realted deaths were listed under “Other Causes,” which saw a 300% increase over the previous year with the inclusion of the deadly  illness. Firearms-related fatalities saw a small decrease while traffic-related fatalities increased slightly.

“As the leading authority in line-of-duty deaths, 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. The year 2020 will go down as the year of the most line-of-duty fatalities since 1974 due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” says National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO Marcia Ferranto on the release of the report. “We’ve been tracking line-duty-duty fatalities for 30 years, and the loss of even one law enforcement life is difficult. We stand together with the nation in honoring these brave men and women.”

Firearms-related fatalities

Firearms-related fatalities were the leading cause of non-COVID-19-related law enforcement deaths. Forty-eight officers were fatally shot in 2020 compared to 51 during the same period in 2019, resulting in a 6% decrease. Of the 48 firearms fatalities, 11 officers died while investigating a suspicious person or activity, seven officers were killed while responding to domestic disturbance calls, six were killed while attempting an arrest, six more died in ambush attacks, three died in tactical situations and three died while responding to various disturbance calls. Four law enforcement officers died while responding to a robbery or burglary in-progress call. Three officers were feloniously killed during traffic stops. Two officers were killed serving warrants. Two others were killed by inadvertent gunfire and one officer was killed by firearms responding to a mental health call.

Handguns were the leading type of firearm used in fatal shootings of law enforcement officers. Of the 48 firearms-related LODDs, 30 officers were shot and killed with a handgun and 13 officers were killed by a rifle. One officer was killed with his own weapon. The type of firearm used in the remaining four fatalities was still under investigation or unknown at this time the report was completed. Of the 48 firearms-related fatalities in 2020, five occurred in each February, March, May, June, and July. Four officers were shot and killed in April, September and October, and three officers were killed in January, November and December. Two officers were killed by gunfire in August.

Traffic-related fatalities

Forty-four officers were killed in traffic-related incidents in 2020, compared to 43 over the same period the previous year, resulting in a 2% increase. Of the 44 traffic-related fatalities, 18 were automobile crashes involving a collision with another vehicle and eight were single vehicle crashes. Fifteen officers were struck while on the side of the road. Three officers died in motorcycle crashes. There were 15 officers killed after being struck by a vehicle, compared to 19 in 2019, a 21% decrease. The report attributes the drop in officers struck to greater citizen awareness, expanded officer traffic safety messaging, proper vehicle positioning and the use of reflective traffic vests.

Compared to the average number of traffic-related fatalities per decade, 2020 was significantly lower than the past 10-year decade average. In the previous decade, 52 officers were killed on average in traffic-related incidences during the calendar year.

Other causes of fatalities

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was one of the deadliest years for law enforcement officers in decades. During 2020, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund formed a Covid-19 Task Force to address the surge in law enforcement fatalities due to the coronavirus. The goal of the task force is to compile, acknowledge, and investigate every law enforcement fatality attributed to Covid-19 in the United States and to ensure that the officer is rightfully honored on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. All fallen officer cases formally submitted by each agency are reviewed by the Covid-19 Task Force to ensure that cases meet established criteria for inclusion. Then, each case is formally presented to the Memorial Names Committee which convenes regularly throughout the calendar year.

In 2020, 27 officers died from other causes not COVID-19-related. Of the 27 other causes, 22 were health-related incidents, including heart attacks and injuries suffered during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Three officers drowned while executing their duties, one died in a helicopter crash and one was beaten to death.

Beyond the report

Ferranto spoke to OFFICER magazine recently about revelations she and her team had as she was being prepped for the end-of-the-year fatality report after joining the NLEOMF in 2019. “I had to be in a room at 5 a.m. and we did radio shows all morning long and TV broadcasts. We were reporting on the statistics. After about eight hours of this solid non-stop report after report to different cities around the country, reporting out on these numbers, I couldn’t help but stop and look at my communications team and said to them ‘This is ridiculous that I—as a non-profit professional who has come in to turn around this organization—is reporting out on line-of-duty deaths for law enforcement,” she recalls. “I said: ‘We should have a whole panel here of law enforcement who are experts in firearms, traffic safety and all of the areas in which safety and wellness pertain to this report.’ At that moment I said ‘We will no longer do this. We will no longer just sit in a room all day at the end of the year reporting out on these horrific numbers.’ So we immediately, as of Jan. 3, 2020, started pivoting on what our organization can do to help keep names off the wall.”

As part of the organization’s Destination Zero initiative, a series of programs were held the same week the report was released in order to provide lifesaving information to law enforcement officers based on trends found in the line-of-duty death categories of firearms, traffic, and health-related causes. In-depth, one-on-one interviews were held between leaders in law enforcement and the medical field from federal agencies, major cities and counties to address the growing threats against officers based on the NLEOMF’s annual report data. The conversations include resources and strategies for officers focusing on preparation, training, response and support.

“It’s not enough to be reporting out on the numbers,” says Ferranto. “Not anymore. Those numbers—anything greater than zero has to be addressed.”

View the full report at officer.com/21205371