(Reuters) – Roughly 30% fewer police and other law enforcement officers in the United States have died in the line of duty so far in 2022 compared with 2021, attributed largely to a drop in COVID-19 deaths, a report released on Thursday found.
The number of officers killed in “firearms related fatalities” rose slightly, from 28 to 33, according to the report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
“With zero officer fatalities as our ultimate goal, observing comparatively lower numbers in line-of-duty deaths provides us with cautious hope for those who’ve made a commitment to serve and protect our communities,” the fund’s CEO, Marcia Ferranto, said in announcing the data.
The report found 129 deaths of federal, state, county, municipal, campus and tribal law enforcement officers as of June 30, compared to 188 in the same period of 2021.
During the first half of 2022 a total of 54 officers died due to COVID, compared to 98 in the first six months of 2021.
A COVID death is considered “in the line of duty” if study authors determine that the officer was infected on the job, a spokesman for the fund said.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Rosalba O’Brien)
