Dramatic increase in officers killed in line of duty

Historic City News has obtained the 2014 preliminary statistics for law enforcement officers killed in line of duty as published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to the figures released last week, fifty-one law enforcement officers were feloniously killed in the line of duty in 2014; seventeen of those officers lost their lives as a result of criminal acts that occurred in the South.  This is an increase of almost 89 percent when compared to the 27 officers killed nationwide in 2013.

51-dead – by the numbers:

• Eleven officers died answering disturbance calls
• Ten officers were conducting traffic pursuits or stops
• Eight were killed in ambushes
• Six officers were investigating suspicious persons
• Five officers while performing investigative activities
• Four while they were engaged in tactical situations
• Three officers were handling persons with mental illness
• One officer was slain during a drug-related matter
• Three officers were killed while attempting other arrests.

The final statistics and complete details will not be available until the Uniform Crime Reporting program’s publication “Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted, 2014”, is published on the FBI’s website in the fall.