The 2024 Mid-Year Preliminary Law Enforcement Officers Fatalities Report, released by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) in July, found that there has been a 15% increase in line-of-duty deaths in the first six months of this year compared to the first half of 2023.
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According to the report, as of June 30, 71 federal, state and local law enforcement officers have died in the line of duty, compared to the 62 officers killed during the same period last year.
“Every single line-of-duty death we report represents a selfless sacrifice made on behalf of the community and the nation in which they serve,” National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund CEO Bill Alexander said in a statement. “We lament to document even a single such death, much less report a substantial increase in such deaths year over year. Part of our continuing mission is to use such data to not only highlight the continuing dangers faced by our law enforcement professionals, but to craft policies and training recommendations which we hope will make it safer for the noble men and women who work tirelessly to protect us.”
There was an 89% increase in traffic-related fatalities in the first six months of this year, as 17 officers died due to traffic-related crashes such as single-vehicle accidents, vehicle collisions, and motorcycle crashes while working along our nation’s roadways. This is compared to the nine crash-related deaths during the same period last year.
During the first half of 2024, 28 officers died from felonious assaults. All of the officers were were killed in the line of duty as a result of being fatally shot. There was an 8% increase of officers killed by firearms compared with the first half of 2023. The leading circumstance of firearms fatalities were officers who were killed feloniously during traffic enforcement or a pursuit.
During the first six months of 2024, 17 officers died of other causes, such as aircraft accidents, fire-related incidents, and physical-related illnesses including heart attacks and strokes suffered while in the performance of their official duties.
Firearms-related fatalities
Of the 71 confirmed law enforcement line-of-duty deaths from Jan. 1 to June 30, firearms-related fatalities were the leading cause of law enforcement deaths. There have been 28 officers killed by gunfire so far this year, compared with 26 gunfire fatalities during the first six months of 2023.
Of the 28 firearms fatalities, five were killed during a traffic stop or pursuit and four were killed serving felony warrants. Three officers were shot handling domestic disputes and another three officers were killed while investigating suspicious persons or activity. Two officers were shot and killed while they were involved in a tactical situation. Two officers were fatally shot serving civil papers, two were killed during a disturbance call, two were fatally shot attempting to make an arrest and two were ambushed in an unprovoked attack. Two officers were killed as a result of accidental shootings, and one officer was killed while en route home after his shift.
Rifles were the leading type of firearm used in fatal shootings of law enforcement officers in the first half of 2024. Of the 28 officer fatalities, eight were killed with a rifle, four were killed with a handgun. The type of firearm used in the remaining 16 fatalities is still under investigation or unknown.
Of the 28 firearms-related fatalities in the first half of 2024, two occurred in January, six in February, three in March, eleven in April, two in May and four in June.
Traffic-related fatalities
Twenty-six officers were killed in traffic-related incidents during the first half of 2024, compared to 11 over the same period last year, an increase of 136%. Of the 26 traffic-related fatalities, 15 were automobile crashes and two were motorcycle crashes. During the same time period last year, eight officers were killed in automobile crashes and one died in a motorcycle crash.
Struck-by incidents, where an officer is hit and killed by a vehicle while outside of their patrol vehicles, remain the second-leading cause of traffic-related fatalities.
These fatal struck-by crashes often occur while officers are investigating motor vehicle crashes or assisting motorists on the side of the road. Nine struck-by fatalities occurred during the first half of the year, versus two during the same period last year.
Other causes of fatalities
The ‘Other’ category in this report contains a wide variety of health-related deaths and other line-ofduty fatalities. 17 officers are listed in the “Other” category versus 25 for the same period last year, a 32% decrease from last year.
Nine officers died from health-related illnesses, such as heart attacks and strokes, while the remaining eight officers died as a result of falling, drowning, fire-related incidents, officer beatings and stabbings, as well as electrocution.
Demographics of fatalities
In the first half of 2024, five officers each, from the states of New York and Texas were killed in the line of duty, four officers each from the states of Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee were killed in the line of duty. Three officers each from Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota as well as three federal officers were killed.
Two officers each from Alabama, Arizona, California, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, as well as two tribal officers and two officers from the U.S. Territories were killed. The following states each had one line of duty death, Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Looking at gender, 68 fallen officers were male and three were female. The average fallen officers’ age was 39 years, with an average of 13 years of service. On average, each fallen officer left behind two children.
Info from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund View the NLEOMF Mid-Year Report at officer.com/55126402
Paul Peluso | Editor
Paul Peluso is the Managing Editor of OFFICER Magazine and has been with the Officer Media Group since 2006. He began as an Associate Editor, writing and editing content for Officer.com. Previously, Paul worked as a reporter for several newspapers in the suburbs of Baltimore, MD.
