An Alarming Trend for Law Enforcement

When the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund released its 2021 Fatalities Report, CEO Marcia Ferranto, described the numbers as “staggering.”

As of Dec. 31, 2021, 458 federal, state, county, municipal, military, campus, tribal, and territorial officers died in the line of duty last year, up 55% over the 295 officers who died in the line of duty in 2020, according to preliminary data. It is the second year in a row that line-duty-deaths have increased. “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,” Ferranto said after the report’s release. “The year 2021 will go down as the year of the most line-of-duty fatalities since 1930 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and increases in traffic fatalities and firearms ambushes.”

Troy Anderson, a retired Connecticut State Police sergeant and Executive Director of the NLEOMF’s Officer Safety and Wellness Program, says that the report affords the nation an opportunity to further understand the factors that led to the rise in line-of-duty deaths in 2021, but stressed that the human element should not be discounted. “While much of this report is delivered through numbers and statistics, it is paramount that we keep in mind that every number here represents someone’s loved one, a life. A son or daughter, a mother or father, a law enforcement officer who made the ultimate sacrifice for a profession that they believed in and died for. We must never forget this loss and the enduring effects to the families, agencies and the communities they represented.”

OFFICER Magazine March 2022 Digital Edition

COVID’s heavy toll

The most glaring number in the 2021 Fatalities Report is the officer deaths in the category of “other” causes, which increased 63% over the number recorded in 2020. Preliminary data shows that 301 officer fatalities have been confirmed as being caused by COVID-19 so far in 2021. To properly identify COVID-19-related deaths the NLEOMF implements a stringent review process which includes agency submissions, medical report evaluations and peer committee review. The organization’s COVID-19 task force then works with the agencies to determine whether the officers experienced direct exposure to individuals with COVID-19 while working in a law enforcement capacity.

“This year’s statistics demonstrate that America’s front-line law enforcement officers continue to battle the deadly effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the performance of their duties,” says Anderson.

In addition to the COVID-19 deaths, 37 officers died from other causes, including 25 officers who died from health-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, strokes, and 9/11-related illnesses. In addition, four officers were beaten, and four officers drowned. There were two officers stabbed to death, one was killed when their patrol vehicle was swept away by floodwaters and one was killed in a tornado.

Traffic-related fatalities

Traffic-related fatalities increased by 38% with 58 deaths in 2021 compared to the 42 deaths recorded in 2020. Anderson says the rised is alarming. “The dramatic increase in traffic-related fatalities in 2021 is cause for concern for law enforcement agencies nationwide.”

There was an alarming 93% uptick in struck-by fatalities as 27 officers were killed after being struck by a vehicle. Vehicle crashes involving a collision with another vehicle or fixed object accounted for 19 deaths; nine officers died in single-vehicle crashes and three died in motorcycle crashes.

Firearms-related fatalities

Firearms-related fatalities accounted for 62 officer deaths in 2021, a 38% increase compared to the 45 officers killed in firearms-related incidents in 2020. “The leading circumstance of firearms fatalities were officers killed in ambush-style attacks, according to Anderson. “A total of 19 officers were killed in ambush attacks in 2021, a significant increase over only the six such attacks in 2020.”

Of the 62 firearms fatalities, 19 officers were ambushed, eight were investigating suspicious activities or persons, seven were attempting an arrest, seven were responding to domestic disturbance calls which led to a tactical situation and ambush, seven disturbance calls which led to a tactical situation, three were killed during traffic enforcement which led to an ambush, three were fatally shot responding to a burglary or robbery in progress calls, three involved drug-related investigations, two were killed during tactical encounters, two were accidentally shot and killed, and one was killed during an encounter with a suicidal subject.

Handguns were the leading type of firearm used in fatal shootings of officers in 2021. Thirty-two officers were killed with a handgun, eight were killed by rifle, four were killed with shotguns and one was killed by the officer’s own weapon. The type of firearm used in the remaining 17 fatalities is still under investigation. Eight of the deaths occurred in October, making it the deadliest month in 2021.

Demographics

In 2021, Texas experienced the largest number of officer fatalities in the U.S. with 84 deaths. Florida had the second-highest number with 52 deaths and Georgia suffered 39 deaths. Only 10 states and D.C. did not lose an officer.

Of the 458 officer fatalities, there were 417 male officers killed in the line of duty and 41 female officers. The average age of the fallen officers was 48 with 17 years of service.

“The subject of this report is a significant tool for consideration when taking proactive measures to affect enhanced training opportunities and policies to make the profession safer,” says Anderson. “Our flagship program Destination Zero is a repository of best practice law enforcement safety wellness and resilience programs from around the country. Through our ongoing research, technical assistance briefings, awards and partnerships, our extensive portfolio is designed specifically to make the vocation of American law enforcement safer for those who serve”

View the full report at Officer.com/21256172