2013
Law Enforcement Fatalities Dip to Lowest Level in Six Decades
33 officers killed in firearms-related incidents is fewest since 1887
According to preliminary datacompiled by the National LawEnforcement Officers Memorial Fund,111 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2013, an eightpercent decrease from 2012, when121 officers were killed. This was thefewest number of fatalities for the lawenforcement profession since 1959when 110 officers died. Traffic-related fatalities were theleading cause of officer fatalities in2013, killing 46 officers. Thirty-oneofficers were killed in automobilecrashes, 11 officers were struck andkilled outside their vehicle and fourofficers were killed in motorcyclecrashes. Traffic-related fatalitiesdecreased four percent from 2012when 48 officers were killed. Firearms-related fatalities werethe second leading cause of deathamong our nation’s law enforcementofficers in 2013. Firearms-relatedfatalities accounted for 33 deaths, decreasing33 percent from 2012when 49 officers werekilled. Ambush attackswere once again the leading circumstance of fatal shootingsin 2013, with seven officers killed.
Officer fatalities unrelated to firearmsor traffic saw a 33 percent increase in2013. Thirty-two officers died of othercauses in 2013 compared to 24 in 2012.Job-related illnesses, such as heartattacks, increased substantially in 2013with 18 officer deaths compared to eight officers in 2012.
"Ambush attacks were the leading circumstance of fatal shootings in 2013"
Firearms-related Fatalities
Firearms-related fatalities reached a 126-year low in2013 with 33 officers shot and killed, the lowest since1887 when 27 officers were shot and killed. Afterincreasing dramatically in 2010 and 2011, firearms-related fatalities decreased in 2013 for the secondyear. Thirty-three officers died in firearms-relatedincidents compared to 49 in 2012, representing a 33percent decrease.
Handguns were the leading type of firearm used infatal shootings of law enforcement officers in 2013.Of the 33 officer fatalities, 58 percent were shot andkilled with a handgun.